Part 1. Discussion post. Should be between 350-500 words in length. Should use at least 2 scholarly articles with in text citations.
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Choose a role: researcher, consultant, or organizational leader. In this role, discuss how you would study and determine the values and ethical framework of an organization. What steps would you take to determine whether the values and ethics of the organization were consistent with the values and ethics of the top level leaders?
(Do not attempt to address all of these points in your first post. Challenge yourself to develop your understanding and interaction with the course concepts as the discussion progresses.)
Discussion posts should reflect scholarly analysis and interpretation of the topic as well as supporting research. Follow APA formatting guidelines (current edition) to integrate your research and cite your sources. Each post (the initial post as well as the response posts) should be between 300-500 words in length.
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Part 1 (a) This is a discussion response. Should be at least 350-500 words APA in text citations with at least 2 scholarly articles.
In the role of an organizational ethics consultant, my initial objective would be to understand how values and ethical standards are articulated, enacted, and reinforced within the organization. Ethical culture is not revealed solely through formal statements but through patterns of behavior, decision making, and leadership influence. Therefore, my assessment would begin with a multi method diagnostic approach designed to capture both espoused values and values in use.
The first step would involve a document and artifact review, including mission statements, codes of ethics, leadership communications, and policy manuals. While these materials provide insight into the organizations stated ethical framework, research suggests that formal codes alone are insufficient indicators of ethical behavior (Waters & Bird, 1987). As such, this review would serve as a baseline rather than a definitive assessment.
Next, I would conduct semi structured interviews and focus groups across organizational levels to examine how employees interpret ethical expectations in practice. Waters and Bird (1987) emphasize that moral standards often remain privately held rather than publicly shared, creating moral stress and ambiguity. Open dialogue allows consultants to identify whether ethical norms are collectively understood or experienced as individual burdens. Attention would be paid to how ethical dilemmas are discussed, resolved, or avoided within the organization.
To determine alignment between organizational ethics and top-level leadership values, I would analyze leadership behavior and decision patterns. Ethical leadership theory suggests that leaders shape ethical culture through modeling, reinforcement, and prioritization of values over short term economic pressures (Brown et al., 2005). Observing how senior leaders respond to ethical challenges, such as transparency in decision making or willingness to incur costs for ethical action, provides critical evidence of value congruence.
Additionally, I would assess the organizations ethical framework through a cultural lens, particularly in global or diverse contexts. Cultural norms influence how ethical issues are perceived and interpreted, affecting consistency across organizational units (Singhapakdi et al., 1999). Misalignment may occur when leadership espouses universal ethical principles without accounting for cultural perceptions that shape ethical judgment.
Finally, cross-referencing findings from documents, interviews, and leadership behavior would allow for an evaluation of ethical consistency. Alignment exists when leaders actions reinforce shared ethical norms and when employees experience moral expectations as clear, supported, and collectively upheld. Where gaps emerge, recommendations would focus on fostering public ethical dialogue, leadership accountability, and culturally informed ethical practices.
References
Brown, M. E., Trevio, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117134.
Singhapakdi, A., Vitell, S. J., & Franke, G. R. (1999). Antecedents, consequences, and mediating effects of perceived moral intensity and personal moral philosophies. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 27(1), 1936.
Waters, J. A., & Bird, F. (1987). The moral dimension of organizational culture. Journal of Business Ethics, 6(1), 1522.
Singhapakdi, A., Karande, K., Rao, C. P., & Vitell, S. J. (2001). How important are ethics and social responsibility? A multinational study of marketing professionals. European Journal of Marketing, 35(1/2), 133152.
Part 1 (b) This is a discussion response. Should be at least 350-500 words APA in text citations with at least 2 scholarly articles.
As a researcher, I would examine an organizations values and ethical standards. I would approach the situation by establishing between what the organization claims to value and what is reinforced. Organizational culture is expressed through both formal and informal norms, making it necessary to analyze values at multiple levels (Schein, 2010). The first step would involve reviewing mission statements, codes of ethics, and policies. Studied research shows that supported values often diverge from enacted values, particularly when organizations face pressures or ambiguous situations (Schein, 2010).
Next, I would conduct interviews across hierarchical levels. Employees lived experiences often reveal how ethical expectations are interpreted, enforced, or applied. Ethical leadership research emphasizes that employees form judgments about organizational ethics largely through observing leadership behavior and decision-making patterns (Brown et al., 2005). I would also examine promotion standards, resource usage, and responses to ethical violations, these patterns often expose the organizations priorities.
I would compare leadership values and ethics with documented data. Structured interviews with leaders would clarify their ethical priorities and decision-making logic. The consistency between leaders actions and words has a direct correlation of ethical standards (Simons, 2002).
References
Brown, M. E., Trevio, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117134.
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed.). JosseyBass.
Simons, T. (2002). Behavioral integrity: The perceived alignment between managers words and deeds as a research focus. Organization Science, 13(1), 1835.
Part 2. Case Analysis
Develop an analysis of the case provided. The analysis should reflect a sophisticated understanding of pertinent concepts and theories related to ethical leadership in global organizations. The essay should be supported by information from at least five credible sources: research-based publications, such as textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, or other sources providing relevant guidance on the topic. Your essay should clearly explain how the research informs your analysis. The analysis should be presented in essay format. Summarize the case, explain the problems, and then suggest recommendations to address the problems. Your analysis should reflect your ability to apply logic, critical thinking, and theoretical reasoning as you construct point-by-point, evidence-based arguments to support your conclusions and recommendations.
See attachment.
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