Shaping Ethical Behavior
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Shaping Ethical Behavior
Introduction
The success of business organizations can never be imagined without the application of ethical considerations. It is one of the core responsibilities of management to effectively shape the ethical behavior of all workers according to the organization’s ethical code of conduct. Exploration and application of appropriate practical measures are necessary conditions to successfully shape ethical attitudes and domains of employees. Alignment of employees’ behavior with organizational culture is a necessary condition to meet the standards of accurate ethical behavior in the context of the organizational setting. Proper shaping of ethical behavior eventually helps employees to deal with diverse forms of ethical dilemmas that exist in the case of organizational operations. This paper focuses on critically analyze the approach of shaping ethical behavior considering the aspects of the code of ethics in a business and the active role of executive teams in this scenario.
Discussion
Identification of Ethical, Legal, and Industry Related Business Issues
Appropriate shaping of ethical behavior in the case of employees is essential to successfully resolve various ethical, legal, and industry-related business issues. The prevalence of these business ethics concerns can be observed in many different forms. The resolution of all business matters requires the application of ethical behavior to ensure the facets of fairness and honesty. Identification of specific business issues is first to step to implement better practical forms in case of shaping the ethical behavior of workers. Successful accommodation of diversity in a workplace setting is characterized as one major ethical issue that influences an organization’s operations in an extensive manner. It is critical for the management to develop an organizational culture in which all stakeholders accept differences in a proper manner ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"aVO5R8vR","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Weber, 2013)","plainCitation":"(Weber, 2013)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1259,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/EQY6Y83R"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/EQY6Y83R"],"itemData":{"id":1259,"type":"article-journal","title":"The social enterprise: Building a digitally driven business to gain competitive advantage","container-title":"Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing","page":"6-16","volume":"1","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Weber","given":"Larry"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2013"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Weber, 2013). Developing necessary consistency with the core values of the business organization is another prominent ethical concern that requires necessary conditions.
The prevalence of legal issues in the case of business organizations also closely linked with the application of proper ethical behavior. It is essential for all the team members as the shareholders to adopt the approach of proper ethical code of conduct to address legal issues. The growing form of discrimination for any employee can lead to the legal concern for the business entities. Proper enforcement of ethical behavior is an obligatory condition to avoid the risk of discrimination. These specific concerns of ethical and legal domains can be observed in the case of the food industry where the organization of Starbucks is focusing to shape ethical behavior of all employees. The aim of this consideration is to determine the influence of ethical behavior to resolve different ethical, legal, and overall industrial concerns. The comprehensive analysis of industry also indicates ethical issues faced by McDonald's. The working conditions delivered by the organization is under great criticism considering the application of an ethical code of conduct.
Analysis of Case Study
A detailed analysis of the ethical aspects of business organizations is an essential condition to figure out the responsibilities of organizations to successfully shape ethical behavior. This form of consideration is primarily relevant to address the ethical and legal problem of handling diversity in an organizational setting. It is important to examine how the management of companies can develop an appropriate code of conduct to align ethical behaviors of employees with the organization’s culture ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"RnV2ipXu","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Demirtas, 2015)","plainCitation":"(Demirtas, 2015)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1530,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/KFECQB5X"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/KFECQB5X"],"itemData":{"id":1530,"type":"article-journal","title":"Ethical leadership influence at organizations: Evidence from the field","container-title":"Journal of Business Ethics","page":"273-284","volume":"126","issue":"2","author":[{"family":"Demirtas","given":"Ozgur"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Demirtas, 2015). Managing diversity is an inevitable condition for a business organization that requires the adoption of suitable practical measures.
It is essential for a business leader to consider the importance of diversity and ethical prospects to achieve business objectives effectively and efficiently. The ethical behavior of workers eventually represents the overall moral scope of the business organization. The concept of ethical behavior is defined as the application of morally right things in all forms of organizational conditions. The participation of the management of the organization is an essential condition to form the ethical behavior of all the employees to maintain organizational integrity and moral standards. The case of the specific organization of Starbucks is helpful to recognize how management took necessary measures to successfully shape the ethical behavior of employees according to dynamic business conditions. Diverse strategies adopted by the management to shape the ethical aspects of employees and motivated them to successfully work as one team.
Possible Solutions to Ethical Issues
Identification of practical strategies is essential that can be helpful for the management to successfully shape the ethical behavior of workers. This specific approach is a critical condition to successfully address different forms of ethical and legal problems. The moral conduct of ethical behavior closely associated with the three major components in the forms of individual moral aspects, organizational code of ethics, and considering environmental aspects. The development of ethical organizational culture is necessary to condition to successfully shape ethical behavior in case of all the employees. It is one core responsibility of management to transmit an organization’s code of ethics to all the workers ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"y8lR8cbx","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Wotruba, Chonko, & Loe, 2001)","plainCitation":"(Wotruba, Chonko, & Loe, 2001)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1534,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/HJ5AZXH9"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/HJ5AZXH9"],"itemData":{"id":1534,"type":"article-journal","title":"The impact of ethics code familiarity on manager behavior","container-title":"Journal of Business Ethics","page":"59-69","volume":"33","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Wotruba","given":"Thomas R."},{"family":"Chonko","given":"Lawrence B."},{"family":"Loe","given":"Terry W."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2001"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Wotruba, Chonko, & Loe, 2001). This is a necessary condition so workers have a better understanding that what the company is expecting from them when it comes to behaving ethically. The adoption of common ethical principles is necessary to condition to align the ethical behavior of workers according to moral standards set by the business organizations.
Integrity is defined as one necessary component to shape ethical behavior to successfully deals with different ethical and legal issues. The application of this specific principle of code of conduct enhances confidence level in the case of all the stakeholders. Respect is another necessary condition to successfully apply the target of the organization’s ethical domain. It is also necessary for the management to enhance the approach of professionalism in the case of operations of all the employees. The application of this approach guides all the employees to understand their work responsibilities and effectively work with others to meet team objectives.
When it comes to shaping ethical behavior in the workplace, the active approach of a specific code of conduct can never be ignored. It is necessary to condition for the organization’s management to develop and deliver a comprehensive code of conduct to all the employees. This specific condition is essential so employees have proper knowledge regarding their ethical responsibilities and behavioral domains. The creation of an ethical workplace is not possible without the proper illustration of the company’s code of conduct. The option of developing a code of ethics helps the organization to reveal the overall and unique spectrum of organizational culture ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"pim69dkV","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Gaumnitz & Lere, 2002)","plainCitation":"(Gaumnitz & Lere, 2002)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1532,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/8EG54CPB"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/8EG54CPB"],"itemData":{"id":1532,"type":"article-journal","title":"Contents of codes of ethics of professional business organizations in the United States","container-title":"Journal of Business Ethics","page":"35-49","volume":"35","issue":"1","author":[{"family":"Gaumnitz","given":"Bruce R."},{"family":"Lere","given":"John C."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2002"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Gaumnitz & Lere, 2002). The elements of honesty, transparency, and ethical integrity needs to explicitly defined in the form of a code of ethics. A code of ethics in the form of professional conduct provides a documented guideline to all the employees to examine what is morally right and wrong in an organizational setting. Identification of ethical principles is a primary condition to successfully shape the domain of ethical behavior in the context of the organizational setting. moreover, the establishment of a code of ethics eventually settles conditions in the form of governing decisions and overall behavioral domain at the organization. The development of code of ethics is necessary to a condition in the form of guidance to address different ethical and legal issues such as discrimination, dishonesty, safety, conflicts of interest, etc.
It is also necessary to indicate that the active role of executive teams is necessary for the condition when it comes to successfully shape the ethical behavior of employees. The role of management is immense to deliver basic principles of organizational ethics to all the shareholders to develop necessary consensus. A leader’s participation is immensely crucial to determine and implement the core idea of the code of ethics within an organizational setting. The leaders as the executives of the team recognized as the authority who is responsible to deliver the organization’s vision to all the employees effectively and efficiently. It is important for the organizational leader to deliver a personal example of a code of ethics and moral standards to all the team members to enhance their motivation level ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"4RRDvaVy","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Downe, Cowell, & Morgan, 2016)","plainCitation":"(Downe, Cowell, & Morgan, 2016)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1529,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/TLUFDDXH"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/TLUFDDXH"],"itemData":{"id":1529,"type":"article-journal","title":"What determines ethical behavior in public organizations: Is it rules or leadership?","container-title":"Public Administration Review","page":"898-909","volume":"76","issue":"6","author":[{"family":"Downe","given":"James"},{"family":"Cowell","given":"Richard"},{"family":"Morgan","given":"Karen"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Downe, Cowell, & Morgan, 2016).
Personal Reflections
Consideration of an appropriate code of ethics is necessary to condition the formed ethical behaviors in an organizational context. The development of ethical behavior is necessary to condition for organizations to successfully address different ethical and legal issues by following significant ethical principles. Adoption of specific ethical traits is necessary to condition to avoid ethical concerns that appear when people are working in one team. When it comes to shaping ethical behaviors according to organizational culture, leaders need to be a role model. The executives of teams are responsible to set ethical guidelines for all the team members and provide effective ethical conditions. It is the responsibility of executive to set ethical policy for the employees according to core vision of organization. Moreover, it is also critical to clearly defines all the expectations concerning the working tasks set for workers.
Conclusion
To conclude the discussion about need for shaping ethical behavior in an organizational setting, it is important to indicate that the role of the executive is immensely crucial. It is the core responsibility of the leader to develop and provide a professional code of ethics to all the employees. This is a necessary condition so employees have a clear understanding of their ethical responsibilities. Active communication between management and all the team members is a mandatory condition to minimize the risk of different ethical and legal issues in the case of the workplace setting. The personal ethical values of employees need to be properly aligned with the organization’s code of ethics to meet the objective of shaping ethical behaviors in an appropriate manner.
References
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Demirtas, O. (2015). Ethical leadership influence at organizations: Evidence from the field. Journal of Business Ethics, 126(2), 273–284.
Downe, J., Cowell, R., & Morgan, K. (2016). What determines ethical behavior in public organizations: Is it rules or leadership? Public Administration Review, 76(6), 898–909.
Gaumnitz, B. R., & Lere, J. C. (2002). Contents of codes of ethics of professional business organizations in the United States. Journal of Business Ethics, 35(1), 35–49.
Weber, L. (2013). The social enterprise: Building a digitally driven business to gain competitive advantage. Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing, 1(1), 6–16.
Wotruba, T. R., Chonko, L. B., & Loe, T. W. (2001). The impact of ethics code familiarity on manager behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 33(1), 59–69.
