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Explore the role of ethics in organizational culture and decision-making. Understand different approaches to moral decision-making and the impact of ethics on corporate governance and social responsibility.
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Lecture 12 ETHICSAND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
Philosophy and ethics • Ethics - Doing the right thing • Philosophy - the critical evaluation of assumptions and argument • Moral philosophy - ‘a philosophical inquiry about norms or values, about ideas • of right and wrong, good or bad, what should and what should not be done’ • Four major approaches to the basis of moral decision making: • Naturalism • Rationalism • Utilitarianism • Formalism
Ethical perspectives in organizations • Utilitarian approach: • Act utilitarianism • Rule utilitarianism • Contract approach: • Restricted contractarianism • Libertarian contractarianism
Corporate governance • Mahoney (1997) - reasons why businesses take interest in ethics: • Following fashion • Response to pressure • Pursuit of profit • Stakeholders consider that it is right • Mixture of reasons above
Social responsibility • The role of business in society • Positive and negative impact - social responsibility • Johnson and Scholes • Internal aspects • External aspects • Web of relationships
Cross cultural perspectives on ethics • Leisinger (1995) • Moral common sense rules: • Avoid harming others • Respect the rights of others • Do not lie or cheat • Keep promises and contracts • Obey the law • Prevent harm to others • Help those in need • Be fair • Reinforce these imperatives in others
Ethics and antisocial behaviour Giacalone and Greenburg (1997)
Ethics and antisocial behaviour • Punch identifies three categories of variable: • Structure • Culture • Personality/identity • Kohlberg/Snell: • Avoid punishment; obey those in authority • Seek personal gain; avoid losing out • Earn the approval of others by being nice to them • Conform to rules, laws, codes and conventions • Follow principles based on respect of others rights, • organisms and the greater good • Continually question your own actions and principles • Snell - four psychic prisons: • Being in possession of limited ethical reasoning dilemmas • Stereotypical assumptions • Holding restricted levels of organizational responsibility • Constraints by moral ethos
Ethics and management • The role of work in society • Corporate and public interest • Obligations at work • Privacy • Working at home and work-life balance • Whistleblowing
Defining organizational culture Kroeber and Kluchohn (1952) - 164 different meanings of culture Some writers suggest the concept has no real value because the variety of meanings is so diverse Kilman et al (1985) - culture reflects the ideologies, shared philosophies values, beliefs, assumptions, attitudes, expectations and norms of an Organization Deal and Kennedy (1988) - symbolism and leadership Thompson and McHugh (1990) - significance of personnel management in achieving and maintaining new and more appropriate cultures
Levels of analysis Cray and Mallory (1998) Naïve comparative Culture free Culture bound
The dimensions of culture • Schein (1985) - six dimensions: • Behavioural regularities • Dominant values • Norms • Rules • Philosophy • Climate
Handy’s four types of culture Plus- Person culture
Peters and Waterman’s excellence and culture • Based on ‘shared values from the McKinsey 7-S framework: • Bias for action • Being close to the customer • Autonomy and entrepreneurship • Productivity through people • Hands on, value driven • Stick to the knitting • Simple form, lean staff • Simultaneous loose-tight control
Deal and Kennedy’s cultural profile • Work and play hard • Process culture • Macho culture • Bet your company culture
Trice and Beyer’s organization culture • A Company communications • Stories • Myths • Folk tales • Symbols • B Company practice • Rites • Ritual • Ceremonial C Common language • D Physical culture • Artefacts • Layout
Sub and countercultures Culture is a differentiating feature of organizational life Informal groups Countercultures exist where one or more groups are disaffected and have objectives counter to those of the dominant group
The determinants of culture • History and ownership • Size • Technology • Goals and objectives • Environment • People
Hofstede’s perspectives on culture • Individualism-collectivism • Power distance • Uncertainty avoidance • Masculinity-femininity
Trompenaar’s perspective on culture • Seven dimensions of culture: • Five deal with the way in which people interact • The sixth with people’s perspective on time • The seventh with the approach to moulding the environment • These combine to create different corporate cultures including: • Family • Eiffel Tower • Guided missile
Globalization and culture Yip (1989) - three stage process • Developing a core strategy as the basis of competitive advantage • Internationalization of the home country strategy • Globalization through integration of the largely separate country based international strategies Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989) • International organization • Transnational organization • Two options available to an organization in its approach to culture: • Polycentric • Ethnocentric
Managing culture Cartwright - nine factor test
Managing culture Trompenaar and Wooliams (1999) • Universalism v participation • Individualism v communitarianism • Specific v diffuse • Neutrality v affectivity • Inner directed v outer directed • Achieved status v ascribed status • Sequential time v synchronic time
Changing organizational cultures Lundberg (1985) - six stage programme • External • Internal • Pressures • Visioning • Strategy • Action