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Rebounding from Corruption: Perceptions of Ethics Program Effectiveness in a Public Sector Organization

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Abstract

We examine the perceived importance of three organizational preconditions (awareness of formal ethics codes, decision-making techniques, and availability of resources) theorized to be critical for ethics program effectiveness. In addition, we examine the importance of ethical leadership and congruence between formal ethics codes and informal ethical norms in influencing employee perceptions. Participants (n=418) from a large southern California government agency completed a survey on the perceived effectiveness of the organization’s ethics program. Results suggest that employee perceptions of organizational preconditions, ethical leadership and informal ethical norms were related to perceptions of ethics program effectiveness. Based on these findings, organizations should evaluate the presence (or absence) of essential preconditions and take steps to ensure that leaders model espoused organizational values to foster perceptions of effective ethics programs.

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Acknowledgements

The first author wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Jan Kottke with regard to scale development and statistical analyses. We also thank Dena Smith, Kendall Kerekes, James Pesta, and Tom Mathers for their technical and advisory support throughout this study. Finally, we also thank the editor and the two anonymous reviewers for their insights and thoughtful comments. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management in New Orleans, LA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, 123 East Eighth Street, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA

    Kathie L. Pelletier & Michelle C. Bligh

Authors
  1. Kathie L. Pelletier
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  2. Michelle C. Bligh
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Correspondence to Kathie L. Pelletier.

Additional information

Kathie L. Pelletier is a doctoral student in the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences at Claremont Graduate University, 123 East Eighth Street, Claremont, CA 91711; e-mail: kathie.pelletier@cgu.edu. Her research interests include organizational ethics, ethical leadership, and women’s issues in the workplace. Michelle C. Bligh is an assistant professor of Organizational Behavior in the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences at Claremont Graduate University, 123 East Eighth Street, Claremont, CA 91711; e-mail: michelle. bligh@cgu.edu. Her research interests include charismatic leadership, political and executive leadership, and organizational culture.

Appendix A

Appendix A

  Perceptions of ethical climatea
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Pelletier, K.L., Bligh, M.C. Rebounding from Corruption: Perceptions of Ethics Program Effectiveness in a Public Sector Organization. J Bus Ethics 67, 359–374 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9027-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9027-3

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