ABSTRACT
If one could assess the ethical dys funclionali ty of an organization fro m f irst glance, Dr even after several glances, public scctor cffcctivcncss and effi c iency would incrc<lsc dram<llically. It is doubtful anyone other than those whose behavior would b e called into question by such openness would argue with the advantages both to the institution and to the pu blic thai such insight would reveal. Where best to expend public funds, whom to trust to develop and execute policy, assurance of legal operations, and maxim izing public good arc a few o f the obvious benefit s that would accrue from a more transparent picture o f an organization's eth icali ty. Certainly s temming the g rowing deterioration of trust in govern ment (Pew Research Center 20 10) and orga ni zations in general (Chua and Rahman 20 11 ) would be an overriding positi ve outcome. Yet we know that recognizing unethicali ty as system ic rather than episodic requ ires an in-depth famili arity with an organ ization 's function s and structure. informed ins ight into its patterns of operations, and an overview of its policies and procedures. It is a process of observation and investigati on that is increas ingly more difficult as organization s become more complex (Mikkelsen and Einarsen 200 I ; Vega and Comer 2005) and individuals more skillful at covering up their elhicaltransgrcssions (Giacalone, Jurkiewicz, and Knouse 20 12; Jurk iewicz and Grossman 20 12).
