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11 – 20 of 49The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of ethical climate types on trust in management using Victor and Cullen’s framework, which is based on Kohlberg’s theory of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of ethical climate types on trust in management using Victor and Cullen’s framework, which is based on Kohlberg’s theory of moral development and Gouldner’s sociocultural theory of organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 270 employees from 10 organizations in India was used to investigate the specific relationships between ethical climate types and trust in management. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the different types of ethical climates existing in the organizations. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between ethical climates and trust in management.
Findings
It was found that ethical climates characterized by caring, laws and codes, and rules and procedures are significant predictors of trust in management. However, no support was obtained for any impact of ethical climates emphasizing company profit, self-interest or independence on trust in management.
Research/limitations implications
Future research should examine trust in management as a mediating or moderating variable in the relationship between ethical climates and other organizational variables such as commitment, citizenship behaviour or productivity. Additionally, research could also examine different cultural and organizational contexts in testing out these relationships. The role of other constructs such as personality of supervisors and ethical sensitivity in developing trust in management may also been investigated.
Practical implications
Organizations should try to develop climates based on caring and also emphasize adherence to laws and codes as well as rules and procedures to enhance trust in the management.
Originality/value
The findings of the study are unique and original because literature examining ethical climates and trust is scarce, and this is the first study to explore how ethical climates can impact trust in management in the Indian context. In particular, the results are unique for. Contrary to expectations, no negative impact of climates of self-interest, company interest and independence on trust in management could be seen in this study. The results throw open new directions to theory building on ethical climates and trust in the Indian context.
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Philip Beaulieu and Alan Reinstein
Extant theory tends to treat Organizational Culture (OC) and fraud-related values as static, characterizing culture as synonymous with potential ethical values − but devoting less…
Abstract
Extant theory tends to treat Organizational Culture (OC) and fraud-related values as static, characterizing culture as synonymous with potential ethical values − but devoting less attention to how the culture and values arose and where they are headed. Buffer/conduit theory proposes that accountants learn to use a taxonomy containing three dynamic layers: collective fraud orientation, a buffer/conduit layer, and individual fraud orientation. The middle layer contains OC-related internal controls that buffer the orientation layers from spreading fraud-encouraging values, and serve as conduits transmitting fraud-deterring values − or, when controls do not function as intended, transmitting fraud-encouraging values. A factor analysis of 11 indicators of this three-layer taxonomy suggests that older generations of accounting practitioners apply the taxonomy, but millennials do not. Predisposition to commit fraud is especially salient to internally focused millennials, who uniquely perceive recruitment and training as compensating mechanisms and as collective buffers.
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Ben Capell, S. Kubra Canhilal, Ruth Alas, Lutz Sommer and Carolin Ossenkop
The purpose of the paper is twofold. The first purpose is to provide a synthesis of the dominant cross-cultural models and to present the more recent tri-axial model as a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is twofold. The first purpose is to provide a synthesis of the dominant cross-cultural models and to present the more recent tri-axial model as a promising alternative that responds well to the limitation of prevailing models. Consequently, the second purpose is to employ the model to explore key differences in the culture and values of public service organisations in old and new EU member states.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper surveyed public sector employees in four different countries, two old EU (OEU) states (Germany, The Netherlands) and two new EU (NEU) states (Estonia, Lithuania). The employees were asked to classify 60 values on the three axes of the tri-axial model and to select the five most important values in their organization. The survey replies were analyzed and mapped to facilitate comparison of the tri-axial cultural profile of the two EU clusters.
Findings
The results show differences in value orientation between the two groups of countries: the public sector in the OEU member states appears to be more ethically and less pragmatically oriented than in the NEU member states. Findings show that in the new member states, value congruence is very high across demographic groups, in contrast to the situation encountered in the OEU member states.
Research limitations/implications
Further research should include more countries before generalising the conclusions of this study to the rest of the OEU and NEU countries. Furthermore, although collecting data from a homogeneous unit (e.g. public sector) suggests more valid comparison, in the future, research should strive to also examine additional units, for example private companies.
Practical implications
The conclusions derived from this exploratory cultural mapping provide useful knowledge for improving international collaboration across public sector organizations.
Originality/value
This study is the first study that maps the values in the public sector using the tri-axial model.
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Ying-Cheng Hung, Tsung-Ying Tsai and Yu-Fen Wu
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between overall ethical work climate (EWC) and overall organizational commitment (OC) and test the effects of types of EWC…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between overall ethical work climate (EWC) and overall organizational commitment (OC) and test the effects of types of EWC on three components of OC in Taiwanese military context.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review on EWC and OC provides the basis for the research model and hypotheses. A self-completion questionnaire survey, involving 508 respondents (92.36 per cent response rate) from military officers in Taiwan included both full-time training officers of the National Defense University and officers of Department of Defense. The authors use statistical analysis, including hierarchical regression and structural equation model to test hypotheses about the relationships above.
Findings
The results indicated that overall EWC and some climate types significantly positively or negatively influenced overall OC, affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment.
Practical implications
The findings can provide helpful perspectives on management and organizations of benefit to scholars and policy-makers to make ethical policy in military organizations. In addition, suggesting for military leaders to foster some types of ethical climates to prevent low OC.
Originality/value
Theoretically, the paper serves as a pioneer research for testing the concept of influence of EWC on OC and shows the effects of types of EWC on three components of OC in military context. Practically, the results and recommendations in the paper will be useful to those involved in the field of management in Taiwan military organizations.
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Barry Goldman, Debra L. Shapiro and Matthew Pearsall
The paper aims to investigate why organizations often opt to reject Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)-sponsored mediation of employment disputes (in contrast to…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate why organizations often opt to reject Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)-sponsored mediation of employment disputes (in contrast to employees who tend to readily agree to it). It is guided by recent research associated with Shapiro and Kirkman’s (1999, 2001) theory of “anticipatory justice”, whereby (in)justice is anticipated, or expected, when people think about an event they have not yet experienced whose likely fairness they are questioning. In contrast, “organizational justice” reflects people’s retrospective assessments of how fair they have been treated to date.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper relied upon data made available by the mediation program administered by the US EEOC. The EEOC provided the names and contact information for the officially designated EEOC contacts for each dispute. The authors distributed surveys to each of these organizational representatives and received completed surveys from 492 organizations (a response rate of 85.8 per cent).
Findings
The authors tested the extent to which organizational representatives’ decision to accept or reject mediation as a means of settling discrimination claims is influenced by representatives’ expectation of more versus less fair treatments – by the opposing party as well as by the third-party mediator – during the mediation procedure. The pattern of findings in the study support all hypotheses and, thus, also the expectation-oriented theories that have guided them.
Research limitations/implications
The study relies on self-reports. However, this concern is somewhat lessened because of the salience and recency of events to the time of surveying.
Practical implications
The paper provides new insights on the need for organizations to implement rules, policies and procedures to constrain decision-maker choices consistent with organizational goals. The authors offer specific procedural proposals to reduce this organizational tendency to reject mediation.
Social implications
Employee grievances are costly to organizations in terms of finances, reputation and to the emotional climate of the organization. Moreover, it is similarly costly to employees. This study provides new insights to better understand why employees (as opposed to organizations) are almost three times more likely to elect mediation of employment disputes. As such, it offers some promising ideas to narrow that gap.
Originality/value
The paper investigates a little-studied phenomenon – the differential participation rate of employees versus organizations in EEOC-sponsored mediation.
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Max Chipulu, Udechukwu Ojiako and Alasdair Marshall
The purpose of this study is to examine whether individual demographic and socio-cultural factors affect actions taken by consumers in relation to ethical violations and failure…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine whether individual demographic and socio-cultural factors affect actions taken by consumers in relation to ethical violations and failure (or perceived ethical violations and failure) by service operations firms.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collection was undertaken over a two-year period, from 2011 to 2013, and involved sampling 3,155 respondents from 19 countries. Data analysis was undertaken utilizing hierarchical linear modelling (HLM).
Findings
Findings suggest that although both individual demographic factors (age and gender) and societal differences do affect ethical actions taken by service consumers, inter-societal cluster variations have a more significant effect on the ethical action than individual demographic differences do.
Originality/value
For service operations firms, the study findings offer evidence on the need for constant readjustment of service attributes in line with the ethical dispositions of the different demographic and socio-cultural clusters within the consumer base.
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Mari Huhtala, Maiju Kangas, Anna‐Maija Lämsä and Taru Feldt
The main aim of the present study is to discover whether the managers’ self‐evaluations of their ethical leadership style are associated with their assessments of the ethical…
Abstract
Purpose
The main aim of the present study is to discover whether the managers’ self‐evaluations of their ethical leadership style are associated with their assessments of the ethical organisational culture (measured with an eight‐dimensional Corporate Ethical Virtues‐model). It aims to hypothesise that the more ethical the managers evaluate their own leadership style to be, the higher evaluations they give on the ethical culture of their organisation. The underlying assumption is that ethical managers can enhance the ethical culture by behaving in accordance with their own values.
Design/methodology/approach
This quantitative research was based on a questionnaire study with 902 respondents throughout Finland. A linear regression analysis was conducted to examine how ethical leadership was related to ethical organisational culture.
Findings
Managers who appraised their own leadership style as ethical also evaluated the ethical culture of their organisations more positively. The result implies that an ethically behaving leader can develop the culture of his/her organisation towards more ethical practices. The results also showed that differences in evaluating both ethical leadership and culture emerged concerning background variables.
Research limitations/implications
The data collected were based only on self‐assessments from one data source, and therefore future studies, e.g. including employee ratings, are needed.
Practical implications
Promoting ethical virtues in organisations can lead to a virtuous circle, which supports both ethical culture and ethical leadership.
Originality/value
This empirical study contributes to the research on ethical leadership by examining it in relation to ethical organisational culture.
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Ambreen Sarwar, Muhammad Kashif Imran, Zafar-Uz-Zaman Anjum and Umer Zahid
In modern times, innovation is considered as a vital component of sustainable competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to identify how innovation at the individual…
Abstract
Purpose
In modern times, innovation is considered as a vital component of sustainable competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to identify how innovation at the individual level [innovative work behavior (IWB)] and at the organizational level [innovative organizational climate (IOC)] affects the chances of success of a particular project. Additionally, the moderating effect of gender and work culture on the relation between innovative climate and behavior is tested in the study.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey technique was used to collect data from 425 employees working in project departments at the executive, middle level and senior level management in the paint manufacturing industry of Pakistan. Multiple regression, as well as Preacher and Hayes (2004) tests, were applied to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The result of the data analysis showed that IWB acts as a mediator between IOC and project success (PS), thereby supporting the hypothesized model of innovation and PS. Work culture was supported as a moderator; however, no moderating effect of gender was validated by the results.
Research limitations/implications
The management must make sure that to maximize the rate of success of projects, innovative work climate within the organizations and departments be given due importance. In addition to this, personnel’s individual innovation capabilities must also be enhanced by taking steps toward improvement through training and development.
Originality/value
Though attention has been given to research in innovation in light of other related variables, its relation to PS remains yet to be studied. The effect of gender and work culture on innovation in Pakistani paint industry was long over-due which has been addressed by this study.
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