ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the virtue of integrity, in terms of its meaning, value, and usefulness in organizational settings. A great number of organizational theorists and practitioners acknowledging the importance of integrity in leadership note that any lack or compromise of integrity endangers the survival and future of the organizations. Integrity is a quality that people seek and appreciate in all personal relationships and social interactions, but its value is magnified even more in leadership exchanges. The chapter discusses that the inherent social nature of both ethics and morality, a great number of researchers imply a normative dimension of integrity. Behavioral integrity is viewed as a trait ascribed to the target in the present, drawn on an evaluation of past words and deeds. It describes a pattern of alignment between another's espoused and enacted values but without taking into account the morality of the espoused values and principles.
