ABSTRACT

Every change process is value and interest laden, and fraught with ethical choices and dilemmas. When proposing a change or trying to garner support for an effort, leaders need to examine the beneficiaries of the proposed change and whose interests are served. Change agents need to be vigilant about identifying ethical situations so they can make choices that support the greater good. In addition, recent research literature has identified a variety of processes that can be integrated into change initiatives in order to better ensure ethical outcomes. Scholars examining ethics in relationship to organizational change bemoan the paucity of research, even though studies of change routinely point to the importance of ethics in change processes (Sturdy and Grey 2003). Furthermore, research identifies that failed change efforts are often linked to resistance and cynicism resulting from earlier, unethical change processes. In the end, all propositions for change represent an ethical position. Change agents must be cognizant of this and think carefully about the implications of their proposed agenda, vision, or direction.