Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Positive Ethical Organization: Enacting a Living Code of Ethics and Ethical Organizational Identity

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A vision of a living code of ethics is proposed to counter the emphasis on negative phenomena in the study of organizational ethics. The living code results from the harmonious interaction of authentic leadership, five key organizational processes (attraction–selection–attrition, socialization, reward systems, decision-making and organizational learning), and an ethical organizational culture (characterized by heightened levels of ethical awareness and a positive climate regarding ethics). The living code is the cognitive, affective, and behavioral manifestation of an ethical organizational identity. We draw on business ethics literature, positive organizational scholarship, and management literature to outline the elements of positive ethical organizations as those exemplary organizations consistently practicing the highest levels of organizational ethics. In a positive ethical organization, the right thing to do is the only thing to do.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

POS:

Positive organizational scholarship

P-O fit:

Person–organization fit

References

  • Albert S., Whetten D. (1985) Organizational Identity. In: Cummings L. L., Staw B. M. (eds) Research in Organizational Behavior 7. JAI Press, Greenwich, CT, pp 263–295

    Google Scholar 

  • Argyris C., Schon D. A. (1978) Organizational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective. Addision-Wesley, Reading, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashforth B. E., Mael F. (1989) Social Identity Theory and the Organization. Academy of Management Review 14:20–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashforth B. E., Mael F. (1996) Organizational Identity and Strategy as a Context for the Individual. Advances in Strategic Management 13:19–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashforth B. E., Saks A. M. (1996) Socialization Tactics: Longitudinal Effects on Newcomer Adjustment. Academy of Management Journal 39:149–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Avolio B. J., Bass B. M., Jung D. I. (1999) Re-Examining the Components of Transformational and Transactional Leadership Using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 72:441–462

    Google Scholar 

  • Avolio B. J., Gardner W. L., Walumbwa F. O., Luthans F., May D. R. (2004) Unlocking the Mask: A Look at the Process by Which Authentic Leaders Impact Follower Attitudes and Behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly 15:801–823

    Google Scholar 

  • Axinn C. N., Blair M. E., Heorhiadi A., Thach S. V. (2004) Comparing Ethical Ideologies Across Cultures. Journal of Business Ethics 54:103–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagozzi R. P. (2003) Positive and Negative Emotions in Organizations. In: Cameron K. S., Dutton J. E., Quinn R. E. (eds) Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, CA, pp 176–193

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker M. J., Balmer J. M. T. (1997) Visual Identity: Trappings or Substance? European Journal of Marketing 31:366–382

    Google Scholar 

  • Balmer J. M. T. (2001) Corporate Identity, Corporate Branding and Corporate Marketing: Seeing Through the Fog. European Journal of Marketing 35:248–291

    Google Scholar 

  • Balmer J. M. T., Gray E. R. (2000) Corporate Identity and Corporate Communications: Creating a Competitive Advantage. Industrial and Commercial Training 32:256–261

    Google Scholar 

  • Balmer J. M. T., Greyser S. A. (2002) Managing the Multiple Identities of the Corporation. California Management Review 44(3):70–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Balmer J. M. T., Greyser S. A. (2003) Editor’s Introduction. In: Balmer J. M. T., Greyser S. A. (eds) Revealing the Corporation. Routledge, New York, NY, pp 33–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Bass B. M. (1985) Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectation. Free Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Bass B. M., Steidlmeier P. (1999) Ethics, Character and Authentic Transformational Leadership Behavior. The Leadership Quarterly 10:181–218

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauer T. N., Green S. G. (1998) Testing the Combined Effects of Newcomer Information Seeking and Manager Behavior on Socialization. Journal of Applied Psychology 83:72–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister R. F., Leary M. R. (1995) The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation. Psychological Bulletin 117:497–529

    Google Scholar 

  • Benkhoff B. (1997) A Test of the HRM Model: Good For Employers and Employees. Human Resource Management Journal 7(4):44–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Brickson S. (2000) The Impact of Identity Orientation on Individuals and Organizational Outcomes in Demographically Diverse Settings. Academy of Management Review 25:82–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Broughton J. M. (1985) The Genesis of Moral Domination. In: Modgil S., Modgil C. (eds) Lawrence Kohlberg Consensus and Controversy. The Falmer Press, Philadelphia, PA, pp 363–385

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown M. E., L. K. Treviño, Harrison D. A. (2005) Ethical Leadership: A Social Learning Perspective for Construct Development and Testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 97:117–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron K. S., Dutton J. E., Quinn R. E. (2003) Foundations of Positive Organizational Scholarship. In: Cameron K. S., Dutton J. E., Quinn R. E. (eds) Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, CA, pp 3–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Caza A., Barker B. A., Cameron K. S. (2004) Ethics and Ethos: The Buffering and Amplifying Effects of Ethical Behavior and Virtuousness. Journal of Business Ethics 52:169–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Chonko L. B., Wotruba T. R., Loe T. W. (2003) Ethics Code Familiarity and Usefulness: Views on Idealist and Relativist Managers Under Varying Conditions of Turbulence. Journal of Business Ethics 42:237–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarkeburn H (2002) A Test for Ethical Sensitivity in Science. Journal of Moral Education 31(4):439–453

    Google Scholar 

  • Colby A., Kohlberg L., Speicher B. (1987) The Measurement of Moral Judgment, Vol. 1 and 2. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole D., Sirgy M. J., Bird M. M. (2000) How Do Managers Make Teleological Evaluations in Ethical Dilemmas? Testing Part of and Extending the Hunt–Vitell Model. Journal of Business Ethics 26:259–269

    Google Scholar 

  • Collier J. (1998) Theorizing the Ethical Organization. Business Ethics Quarterly 8:621–654

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins J. (2001) Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve. Harvard Business Review 79(1):66–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooley C. H. (1902) Human Nature and the Social Order. C. Scribner’s Sons, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Corley K. G. (2004) Defined by Our Strategy or Our Culture? Hierarchical Differences in Perceptions of Organizational Identity and Change. Human Relations 57:1145–1177

    Google Scholar 

  • Cullen J. B., Parboteeah K. P., Hoegl M. (2004) Cross-National Differences in Managers’ Willingness to Justify Ethically Suspect Behaviors: A Test of Institutional Anomie Theory. Academy of Management Journal 47:411–421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deshpande S. P. (1996) The Impact of Ethical Climate Types on Facets of Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Investigation. Journal of Business Ethics 15:655–660

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickson M. W., Smith D. B., Grojean M. W., Ehrhart M. (2001) An Organizational Climate Regarding Ethics: The Outcome of Leader Values and the Practices that Reflect Them. The Leadership Quarterly 12:197–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson T., Dunfee T. W. (1994) Towards a Unified Conception of Business Ethics: Integrative Social Contracts Theory. Academy of Management Review 19:252–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Dutton J. E., Dukerich J. M. (1991) Keeping an Eye on the Mirror: Image and Identity in Oganizational Adaptation. Academy of Management Journal 34:517–554

    Google Scholar 

  • Dutton J. E., Dukerich J. M., Harquail C. V. (1994) Organizational Images and Member Identification. Administrative Science Quarterly 39:239–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Falkenberg L., Herremans L. (1995) Ethical Behaviors in Organizations: Directed by the Formal or Informal Systems? Journal of Business Ethics 14:133–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman D. C. (1989) Socialization, Resocialization, and Training: Reframing the Research Agenda. In: Goldstein I. L. (eds) Training and Development in Organizations. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA, pp 376–416

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernald P. S., Fernald L. D. (1999) Shaping Behavior Through Operant Conditioning. In: Benjamin L. T., Nodine B. F. (eds) Activities Handbook for the Teaching of Psychology 4. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, pp 176–180

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiol C. M., Lyles M. A. (1985) Organizational Learning. Academy of Management Review 10:803–813

    Google Scholar 

  • Foreman P., Whetten D. A. (2002) Members’ Identification with Multiple-identity Organizations. Organization Science 13:618–635

    Google Scholar 

  • Forte A. (2004) Business Ethics: A Study of the Moral Reasoning of Selected Business Managers and the Influence of Organizational Ethical Climate. Journal of Business Ethics 51:167–173

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman R. (1984) Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Perspective. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman S. R., L. Hirschhorn, M. Maltz (2004) The Power of Moral Purpose: Sandler O’Neill & Partners in the Aftermath of September 11, 2001. Organization Development Journal 22(4), 69–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Fritz M. J., Arnett R. C., Conkel M. (1999) Organizational Ethical Standards and Organizational Commitment. Journal of Business Ethics 20:289–299

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner W. L., Schermerhorn J. R. Jr. (2004) Unleashing Individual Potential: Performance Gains Through Positive Organizational Behavior and Authentic Leadership. Organizational Dynamics 33:270–281

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilligan C. (1982) In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Gini A. (2004) Business, Ethics, and Leadership in a Post-Enron Era. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 11:9–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Gioia D. A., Schultz M., Corley K. G. (2000) Organizational Identity, Image, and Adaptive Instability. Academy Of Management Review 25:63–81

    Google Scholar 

  • González E. (2002) Defining a Post-Conventional Corporate Moral Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics 39:101–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray E. R., Smeltzer L. R. (1985) SMR Forum: Corporate Image – an Integral Part of Strategy. Sloan Management Review 26:73–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg J. (1990) Organizational Justice – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Journal of Management 16:399–432

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg J., Bies R. J. (1992) Establishing the Role of Empirical Studies of Organizational Justice in Philosophical Inquiries into Business Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics 11:433–445

    Google Scholar 

  • Grojean M. W., Resick C. J., Dickson M. W., Smith D. B. (2004) Leaders, Values and Organizational Climate: Examining Leadership Strategies for Establishing an Organizational Climate Regarding Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics 55:223–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Gump L. S., Baker R. C., Roll S. (2000) The Moral Justification Scale: Reliability and Validity of a New Measure of Care and Justice Orientations. Adolescence 35:67–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Haslam S. A., Postmes T., Ellemers N. (2003) More than a Metaphor: Organizational Identity Makes Organizational Life Possible. British Journal of Management 14:357–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatch M. J., Schultz M. (1997) Relations Between Organizational Culture and Identity and Image. European Journal of Marketing 31:356–365

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatch M. J., Schultz J. (2000) Scaling the Tower of Babel: Relational Differences Between Identity, Image, and Culture in Organizations. In: Schultz M., Hatch M. J., Larsen M. H. (eds) The Expressive Organization. The Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 11–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatch M. J., Schultz M. (2002) The Dynamics of Organizational Identity. Human Relations 55:989–1018

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatcher T. (2002), Ethics and HRD: A New Approach to Leading Responsible Organizations. Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Hollingsworth A. T., Hoyer D. T. (1985) How Supervisors Can Shape Behavior. Personnel Journal 64:86–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Howell J. M., Avolio B. J. (1992) The Ethics of Charismatic Leadership: Submission or Liberation? Academy of Management Executive 6(2):43–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt S. D., Wood V. R., Chonko L. B. (1989) Corporate Ethical Values and Organizational Commitment in Marketing. Journal of Marketing 53:79–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyman M. R., Curran C. M. (2000) The Volitionist’s Manifesto. Journal of Business Ethics 23:323–327

    Google Scholar 

  • James H. S. Jr. (2000) Reinforcing Ethical Decision-making Through Organizational Structure. Journal of Business Ethics 28:43–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Jansen E., M. A. Von Glinow (1985) Ethical Ambivalence and Organizational Reward Systems. Academy of Management Review 10:814–822

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones G. R. (1986) Socialization Tactics, Self-Efficacy, and Newcomers Adjustments to Organizations. Academy of Management Journal 29:262–279

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones T. M., Ryan L. V. (1997) The Link Between Ethical Judgment and Action in Organizations: A Moral Approbation Approach. Organization Science 8:663–680

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones T. M., Ryan L. V. (1998) The Effect of Organizational Forces on Individual Morality: Judgment, Moral Approbation, and Behavior. Business Ethics Quarterly 8:431–445

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz D., Kahn R. L. (1978) The Social Psychology of Organizations, 2nd edn. John Wiley & Sons, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Kreiner G. E., Ashforth B. E. (2004) Evidence Toward an Expanded Model of Organizational Identification. Journal of Organizational Behavior 25:1–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Lauver K. J., Kristof-Brown A. (2001) Distinguishing Between Employee Perceptions of Person–Job and Person–Organization Fit. Journal of Vocational Behavior 59:454–470

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawler E. E. III (1971) Pay and Organizational Effectiveness . McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawler E. E. (2003) Reward Practices and Performance Management System Effectiveness. Organizational Dynamics 32:396–404

    Google Scholar 

  • Lind G., Wakenhut R. (1985) Testing for moral judgment competence. In: Lind G., Hartmann H. A., Wakenhut R. (eds) Moral Development and the Social Environment. Studies in the Philosophy and Psychology of Moral Judgment and Education. Precedent Publishing Inc., Chicago, IL, pp 79–105

    Google Scholar 

  • Logsdon J. M., Yuthas K. (1997) Corporate Social Performance, Stakeholder Orientation, and Organizational Moral Development. Journal of Business Ethics 16:1213–1226

    Google Scholar 

  • Luthans F., Avolio B. (2003) Authentic Leadership Development. In: Cameron K. S., Dutton J. E., Quinn R. E. (eds) Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, CA, pp 241–258

    Google Scholar 

  • Maclagan P. (1996) The Organizational Context for Moral Development: Questions of Power and Access. Journal of Business Ethics 15:645–654

    Google Scholar 

  • May D. R., Hodges T. D., Chan A. Y. L., Avolio B. J. (2003) Developing the Moral Component of Authentic Leadership. Organizational Dynamics 32:247–260

    Google Scholar 

  • McAlpine H., Kristjanson L., Poroch D. (1997) ‚Development and Testing of the Ethical Reasoning Tool (ERT): An Instrument to Measure the Ethical Reasoning of Nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing 25(6):1151–1161

    Google Scholar 

  • Mead G. H. (1934) Mind, Self & Society from the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL

    Google Scholar 

  • Melé D. (2003) Organizational Humanizing Cultures: Do They Generate Social Capital? Journal of Business Ethics 45:3–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Messner S., Rosenfeld R. (1997) Political Restraint of the Market and Levels of Criminal Homicide: A Cross-National Application of Institutional-Anomie Theory. Social Forces 75:1393–1416

    Google Scholar 

  • Millmore M. (2003) Just How Extensive is the Practice of Strategic Recruitment and Selection? The Irish Journal of Management 24(1):87–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Minkes A. L., Small M. W., Chaterjee S. R. (1999) Leadership and Business Ethics: Does it Matter? Implications for Management. Journal of Business Ethics 20:327–335

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan R. B. (1993) Self and Co-worker Perceptions of Ethics and their Relationships to Leadership and Salary. Academy of Management Review 36:200–214

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholson N., Robertson D. C. (1996) The Ethical Issue Emphasis of Companies: Content, Patterning, and Influences. Human Relations 49:1367–1393

    Google Scholar 

  • Nijhof A. H. J., Rietdijk M. M. (1999) An ABC-analysis of Ethical Organizational Behavior. Journal of Business Ethics 20:39–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Nystrom P. (1990) Differences in Moral Values Between Corporations. Journal of Business Ethics 9:971–979

    Google Scholar 

  • Olins W. (1978) The Corporate Personality: An Inquiry into the Nature of Corporate Identity. Design Council, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Olins W. (1989) Corporate Identity. Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry W. G. Jr. (1999) Forms of Ethical and Intellectual Development in the College Years: A Scheme. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt M. G., Foreman P. O. (2000) Classifying Managerial Responses to Multiple Organizational Identities. Academy of Management Review 25:18–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragins B. R., Cotton J. L. (1999)‚Mentor Functions and Outcomes: A Comparison of Men and Women in Formal and Informal Mentoring Relationships. Journal of Applied Psychology 84:529–550

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragins, B. R. and Verbos A. K.: (2007), ‚Positive Relationships in Action: Relational Mentoring and Mentoring Schemas in the Workplace’, in J. Dutton and B. R. Ragins (eds.), Positive Relationships at Work (Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ), pp. 91–116

  • Reichers A. E. (1987) An Interactionist Perspective on Newcomer Socialization Rates. Academy of Management Review 12:278–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Rest J. R. (1994) Background: Theory and Research. In: Rest J. R., Narváez D. (eds) Moral Development in the Professions: Psychology and Applied Ethics. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ, pp 1–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Reidenbach R. E., Robin D. P. (1990) Toward the Development of a Multidimensional Scale for Improving Evaluations of Business Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics 9:639–653

    Google Scholar 

  • Reidenbach R. E., Robin D. P. (1991) A Conceptual Model of Corporate Moral Development. Journal of Business Ethics 10:273–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau D. M. (1998) Why Workers Still Identify with Organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior 19:217–233

    Google Scholar 

  • Saks A. M., Ashforth B. E. (1997) Organizational Socialization: Making Sense of the Past and Present as a Prologue for the Future. Journal of Vocational Behavior 51:234–279

    Google Scholar 

  • Schein E. H. (2004) Organization Culture and Leadership, 3rd edn. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Schminke M., Ambrose M. L., Neubaum D. O. (2005) The Effect of Leader MoralDevelopment on Ethical Climate and Employee Attitudes. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 97:135–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider B. (1987) The People Make the Place. Personnel Psychology 40:437–453

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott S. G., Lane V. R. (2000) A Stakeholder Approach to Organizational Identity. Academy of Management Review 25:43–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligman M. E. P., Csikszentmihalyi M. (2000) Positive Psychology: An Introduction. American Psychologist 55:5–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Senge P. M. (1990) The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization. Doubleday, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Shamir B., Dayan-Horesh H., Adler D. (2005) Leading by Biography: Towards a Life-Story Approach to the Study of Leadership. Leadership 1:13–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Simoes C., Dibb S., Fisk R. P. (2005) Managing Corporate Identity: An Internal Perspective. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 33:153–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Sims R. R. (1991) The Institutionalization of Organizational Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics 10:493–506

    Google Scholar 

  • Sims R. R. (1992) The Challenge of Ethical Behavior in Organizations. Journal of Business Ethics 11:505–513

    Google Scholar 

  • Sims R. R. (1994) Ethics and Organizational Decision-making: A Call for Renewal. Quorum Books, Westport, CT

    Google Scholar 

  • Sims R. R., Brinkmann J. (2002) Leaders as Moral Role Models: The Case of John Gutfreund at Salomon Brothers. Journal of Business Ethics 35:327–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Sims R. R., Brinkmann J. (2003) Enron Ethics (Or: Culture Matters More Than Codes). Journal of Business Ethics 45:243–256

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinclair A. (1993) Approaches to Organizational Culture and Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics 12:63–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner B. F. (1953) Science and Human Behavior. The Free Press, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Spreitzer G. M., Sonenshein S. (2003) Positive Deviance and Extraordinary Organizing. In: Cameron K. S., Dutton J. E., Quinn R. E. (eds) Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, CA, pp 207–224

    Google Scholar 

  • Spreitzer G. M., Sonenshein S. (2004) Toward the Construct Definition of Positive Deviance. American Behavioral Scientist 47(6):828–847

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart K. (1991) Corporate Identity: A Strategic Marketing Issue. International Journal of Bank Marketing 9(1):32–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Stuart H. (2002) Employee Identification with the Corporate Identity. International Studies of Management and Organization 32:28–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Stryker S. (1987) Identity Theory: Developments and Extensions. In: Yardley K., Honess T. (eds) Self and Identity: Psychosocial Perspectives. John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester, pp 89–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Stryker S., Serpe R. T. (1982) Commitment, Identity Salience, and Role Behavior, Theory and Example. In: Ickes W., Knowles E. S. (eds) Personality, Roles, and Social Behavior. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp 199–218

    Google Scholar 

  • Suchman M. C. (1995) Managing Legitimacy: Strategic and Institutional Approaches. Academy of Management Review 20:571–611

    Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel H., Turner J. C. (1985) The Social Identity of Group Differentiation. In: Worchel S., Austin W. G. (eds) Psychology of Intergroup Relations, 2nd Edition. Nelson-Hall, Chicago, IL, pp 7–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Tan D., Snell R. S. (2002) The Third Eye: Exploring Guanxi and Relational Morality in the Workplace. Journal of Business Ethics 41:361–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Treviño L. K., Youngblood S. A. (1990) Bad Apples in Bad Barrels: A Causal Analysis of Ethical Decision-Making Behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology 75:378–385

    Google Scholar 

  • Treviño L. K., Brown M., Hartman L. P. (2003) A Qualitative Investigation of Perceived Executive Ethical Leadership: Perceptions From Inside and Outside the Executive Suite. Human Relations 56:5–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Turban D. B., Greening D. W. (1996) Corporate Social Performance and Organizational Attractiveness to Prospective Employees. Academy of Management Journal 40:658–672

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Mannen J., Schein E. H. (1979) Toward a Theory of Organizational Socialization. In: Staw B. M., Cummings L. L. (eds) Research in Organizational Behavior 1. JAI Press, Greenwich, CT, pp 209–264

    Google Scholar 

  • Victor B., Cullen J. B. (1987) A Theory and Measure of Ethical Climate in Organizations. Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy 9:51–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Victor B., Cullen J. B. (1988) The Organizational Basis of Ethical Work Climates. Administrative Science Quarterly 33:101–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Weaver G. R., Treviño L. K., Cochran P. L. (1999) Corporate Ethics as Programs as Control Systems: Influences of Executive Commitment and Environmental Factors. Academy of Management Journal 42:41–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Yukl G. (1994) Leadership in Organizations, 3rd edn. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaccaro S. J., Klimoski R. J. (2001) The Nature of Organizational Leadership: An Introduction. In: Zaccaro S. J., Klimoski R. J. (eds) The Nature of Organizational Leadership. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA, pp 3–41

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Belle Rose Ragins for her assistance with an earlier draft of this manuscript, and two anonymous reviewers for their developmental comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business Administration, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 742, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, USA

    Amy Klemm Verbos, Joseph A. Gerard, Paul R. Forshey, Charles S. Harding & Janice S. Miller

Authors
  1. Amy Klemm Verbos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joseph A. Gerard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Paul R. Forshey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Charles S. Harding
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Janice S. Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy Klemm Verbos.

Additional information

Amy Klemm Verbos is a Ph.D. candidate at the Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she received a Chancellor’s Fellowship, Graduate Fellowship, Dissertation Fellowship, and C. Edward Weber Research Award. She co-authored ‚Positive Relationships in Action: Relational Mentoring and Mentoring Schemas in the Workplace’ in the forthcoming edited book, Positive Relationships at Work. Her work on positive organizing also has been presented at the Academy of Management Conference.

Joseph A. Gerard is a Ph.D. student at the Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater teaching organizational behavior, strategy, and accounting. He is a founding member of Ascent Organization Development LLC, which provides management consulting services to for-profit organizations in the areas of effectiveness and performance enhancement.

Paul R. Forshey is a Ph.D. student in Organizations and Strategic Management at the Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His research interests include startup firms and firms in transition.

Charles S. Harding is a Ph.D. student in Organizations and Strategic Management at the Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Awarded a Chancellor’s Fellowship, his research interests include strategic decision-making and the role of value creation in strategy.

Janice S. Miller is an Associate Professor at the Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she has received the Business Advisory Council Award for Teaching Excellence. Her published work has appeared in Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and Journal of Business Ethics among others. She received her Ph.D. in Human Resources Management from Arizona State University.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Verbos, A.K., Gerard, J.A., Forshey, P.R. et al. The Positive Ethical Organization: Enacting a Living Code of Ethics and Ethical Organizational Identity. J Bus Ethics 76, 17–33 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9275-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9275-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation