ABSTRACT

The moral choices we make are influenced by the communities we live in and the organizations we work in. After presenting more general research evidence for the role of shared group values and local moral norms in determining individual moral behavior, this chapter addresses each of these potentially corrupting organizational layers in turn. An organizational culture and work climate can affect the ethical behavior of its workers in different ways. For workplace behaviors, the most well-known and widely used tool to assess which concerns and values are particularly salient, is the 'Ethical Climate Questionnaire', which consists of a number of statements that individual workers can use to characterize their perceptions of common practices and procedures in their company. The chapter illustrates that shared values can nevertheless prescribe different things. Shared moral values can be used to bring out the best in people, as they help them overcome selfish tendencies or individual interests for the greater good.