Individual and contextual factors influencing workplace ethical behavior

Ethics in the Workplace

Ethical conduct remains a thorny and highly debatable issue in organizations in diverse sectors and industries. Scandals involving corporations such as Enron and Worldcom have even increased public attention to the issue of business ethics. Nonetheless, in spite of increased demand for ethical behavior at the workplace, leaders and managers still grapple with ethical dilemmas (Brenkert & Beauchamp, 2012). A major focus of scholarly attention in this area has been on the factors that drive ethical behavior in organizations. In their survey, which involved 161 adults with full time work experience in medium to large organizations, Lowery, Duesing & Beadles (2014) demonstrate that ethical behavior at the workplace is influenced by both individual and contextual factors. The major contextual factors include presence of an organizational or professional code of ethics as well as training in ethics (Lowery, Duesing & Beadles, 2014). In other words, a code of ethics and knowledge of ethical issues can positively influence an individual\'s perceptions of ethical conduct. Lowery, Duesing & Beadles\' (2014) study further shows that ethical behavior may be shaped by individual variables, notably spirituality. Generally, more spiritual individuals tend to be more ethical in their decision-making compared to less spiritual individuals. Other individual variables may include age and gender.

Lowery, Duesing & Beadles\' (2014) article makes valuable contribution to contemporary thinking about ethics in the workplace. This is particularly true with respect to organizational code of ethics and ethics training. The article demonstrates that employers have an instrumental role to play in influencing and enhancing the ethical behavior of their employees. This role relates to developing, implementing and enforcing a robust code of ethics, as well as equipping employees with knowledge on ethical issues. In line with this argument, organizations have increasingly committed more resources to ethics training over the past one decade or so (Brenkert & Beauchamp, 2012). It is often assumed that ethics training is important for top decision-makers, especially senior managers. Nonetheless, according to Lowery, Duesing & Beadles (2014), individuals in lower positions in the organizational hierarchy can as well benefit from ethics training. Therefore, it is imperative for employers to not only have a code of ethics in place, but also provide training in the area of workplace ethics. It may also be important for employers to encourage and/or develop spirituality in employees, and consider spirituality during the recruitment process. Discretion should, however, be exercised to avoid discrimination.

As per the article, the major ethical issue faced by leaders relates to committing time and resources for comprehensive ethics training at all levels of the organization. While leaders may acknowledge the significance of ethics training, they may not provide the necessary support. They may view ethics training as a less important priority, and thereby commit little or no resources towards the training.

The article provides insightful information that I believe can be valuable in my field. With my position in the organization, I will rally the management to pay greater attention to ethics training to all employees. Though the organization has an ethical code of conduct, little time and resources are invested in training employees in the area of workplace ethics. Coupled with continuous revision of the organization\'s ethical code of conduct, regular ethics training will be crucial for enhancing individual and organizational behavior, which can be a key source of competitive advantage.