Ethics in organizations: a Chaos perspective

Abstract

Scrutinizes one of the main features of the conventional credo of organizational management: The “ethic of self‐preservation” (ESP). The ESP is the inevitable by‐product of a culture that denies interiors and encourages materialistic consumerism and narcissistic self‐interest. Several pertinent questions will be explored: What is an ethic and what role does it play in governing both personal and collective behavior? What specifically is the ESP? How is it fostered by the prevailing culture of narcissism? What impact if any, does it have on the maintenance of organizational integrity? Furthermore, how can the Chaos principle of Connectivity be construed as an imperative for organizational adaptation and sustainability? Finally, what lessons can Chaos lend practitioners of organization development that will permit them to grasp, and ultimately, accept a new ethic based on the fact of connectivity in the essential process of organizational change?

Citation

Irvin, L. (2002), "Ethics in organizations: a Chaos perspective", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 359-381. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810210433674