MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Building an Ethically Strong Organization

Ensuring that employees understand the appropriate ways to address daily ethical issues can prevent your company from spiraling into corporate scandal.

Although some argue that people are innately inclined to behave unethically out of self-interest, our research reveals that organizational ethics matter significantly to most employees and managers, and that people want to work for employers whose values and principles are aligned with their own. Research has shown a link between ethical leadership and task performance, organizational citizenship, and other productive work behaviors.

About the Author

Catherine Bailey is a professor of work and employment at King’s Business School at King’s College London. Amanda Shantz is an associate professor in human resources and organizational behavior at Trinity Business School at Trinity College Dublin.

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