Abstract
The terms “business ethics” or “moral leadership” are regularly considered oxymorons (Gini, 2004). However, nearly all members of an organization want their leaders and the entities they lead to behave ethically (Bazerman & Tenbrunsel, 2011). Additionally, given the power and influence leaders have over their followers, ethics is critical to the process of leadership (Northouse, 2013). Leaders are at the pinnacle of organizational ethics, yet they fail for a variety of reasons, necessitating organizational ethics training. First, comprehensive ethics training provides clarity of an individual’s values, providing the foundation for sound ethical decision-making. Second, ethics training that transcends simple right and wrong misconduct scenarios provides a lasting framework from which to evaluate the multiple responses and outcomes of formulating an ethical decision. Using detailed cases that enable the trainees to examine and discuss the mental models used to make their decisions enhances ethical training effectiveness (Brock et al., 2008). Ultimately, the ethics training program must first assist all team members in clarifying their individual values and then make them aware of the common ethical biases that normally operate outside of their awareness. Then the training program must address the psychological level of ethical decisions to enable the individuals to make a habit of thinking ethically in every decision.
Recommended Citation
Roehrman, Chad
(2014)
"Value of Organizational Ethics Training: A Two-Fold Benefit,"
The Journal of Values-Based Leadership: Vol. 7
:
Iss.
2
, Article 9.
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol7/iss2/9
