Ethical Work Climate 2.0: A Normative Reformulation of Victor and Cullen’s 1988 Framework

James Weber () and Akwasi Opoku-Dakwa ()
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James Weber: Duquesne University
Akwasi Opoku-Dakwa: Duquesne University

Journal of Business Ethics, 2022, vol. 178, issue 3, No 4, 629-646

Abstract: Abstract Ethical work climate (EWC), introduced by Bart Victor and John Cullen, plays a central role in the business ethics literature due to its influence on employee’s ethical decision-making. Yet, the often-used framework is limited as a descriptive and prescriptive model because it lacks a normative focus and does not allow for organizations guided by (arguably) universal ethical principles. We revisit Victor and Cullen’s original conceptualization of ethical climate and propose a reformulation of the ethical criteria to be conceptually consistent with Kohlberg’s theory of cognitive moral development and to accommodate principled climates. We also describe how the locus of analysis dimension can be simplified to allow for a more parsimonious and potentially more valid theory. In doing so, we eliminate redundancy noted in the original model and clarify normative preference among the ethical climate types. We discuss implications for research, teaching, and practice.

Keywords: Ethical work climate; Normative model; Levels of moral reasoning; Ethics theories; Ethical principles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-021-04778-4

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