Ethical Organizational Culture
Ethical Organizational Culture
Every business organization has set standards and principles within which its operations are carried out. These aspects through which an organization is expected to respond to both internal and external stimulus comprises the ethical culture of the organization. It is the responsibility of every organization to ensure that its members respond positively to these stimuli to ensure that high ethical standards are maintained in the organization. Ethical culture of an organization is known to consist of several layers. These layers include; shared values and assumptions, formal norms, practice and routines and artifacts and symbols.
Shared values and assumptions form the basis of the ethical organization culture. This is because it forms the basis upon which the organizations functions are based. It provides the roadmap and direction to be followed by every member of the organization. However, in order to enforce this, the organization has to establish formal norms that include codes of conduct, guidelines and policies. After application of formal norms, the practices and routines in an organization form. Practices and routines are as a result of repeated application of norms. The final layer in ethical organization comprise of artifacts and symbols which are visible symbols and actions which is a reflection of the organizational inner values (Daft, 2007).
It is the responsibility of every organization to cultivate a culture that promotes high ethical standards. For instance, the employees in an organization are expected to behave in ways that promote the ethical culture f the organization. The organization must embrace values and norms that will help employees nurture high ethical standards within their work. For instance, values such as integrity, stewardship, professionalism, selfless, loyalty and team work are very critical in promoting ethical culture in an organization (Fernando, 2010). The organization should strive to ensure that the organizational values and individual values are not dysfunctional. The organization and the employees should always move in the same direction.
Symbols, artifacts and stories are very critical components in ensuring that high ethical culture in an organization. This forms the visible aspects through which manifestation of the organization is expressed. For instance, the code of dressing in an organization is very critical in ensuring that the ethical standard is not compromised. All members in an organization must be smartly dressed to portray a good image of the organization. Employees in the organization should have a decent dressing habit which will play a great role in enhancing the ethical culture within the organization (Sims, 2002).
Acronyms and awards also form a great component of ethical culture in an organization. In order to promote high ethical standards, the organization can have several awards in different categories. Several ceremonies should be carried out to promote the organizational ethical culture. The organizational culture can also be determined through the various stories told about the organization. These stories can be achieved through the remarks made by several stakeholders in an organization. The speeches made by members in an organization should depict high ethical standards in an organization.
The organization culture in an organization develops from the interaction of four important factors that result to the formation of the four factor model. The four factor model forms a great basis upon which the ethical organizational culture can be developed through application of the different values and norms within the organization (Sims, 2002).
To start with, the personal and professional characteristics of people within the organization are critical towards achieving an ethical culture. For instance, one should strive to develop personal traits to all members in an organization that will promote the values within an organization. Personal traits such as integrity, selflessness, accountability, passion and team work should be cultivated among all the members within an organization. The professionals in an organization should also be encouraged to act professionally as they carry out their cores within an organization. Holding personal and professional standards within the organization will greatly promote ethical culture within the organization (Fernando, 2010).
Decision making in an organization is also a vital step in developing a high ethical culture within an organization. The decision making in an organization should be ethical to ensure that the culture of an organization is upheld. This can be achieved by ensuring that every decision carried out in the organization is made based on facts. The decisions made should also uphold togetherness within the organization and should be as neutral as possible.
The other factor in the four factor model is concerned with the property rights that the organizations give to the employees. In order to promote high ethical standards in an organization, the employees in these organizations should enjoy their property rights as outlined in the international labor organization. This will encourage the employees to uphold high ethics in carrying out their daily operations. Ethical culture can be achieved through ensuring that employees’ rights are not neglected (Daft, 2007). The last factor is concerned with the structure of the organization. The ethical standards in an organization purely depend on the structure of the organization. It is important to have a good organizational structure that will be able to lay out the organizational core values and norms that will help realize a high ethical organization culture.
References
Sims, R. R. (2002). Managing organizational behavior. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.
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