Reference no: EM132198266

Question: Reply to in 150 words/ 10 sentence min

Ethical climate definitely impacts the behavior of people in any organization as it is based off of the values and beliefs that make up the organizational culture. I came across this article online which had some pretty good information as it related to ethical climate. It stated that ethical climate is a means offered to the organization in order to consolidate its loyalty and develop trust relationships, which are crucial for its credibility and sustainability (Chouaib & Zaddem, 2013 p. 1). It also refers to a type of work environment reflecting organizational policies, procedures and practices with moral consequences (Chouaib & Zaddem, 2013 p. 2). A positive ethical climate is essential, especially in this day an age where so many scandals are reported on leaders at the top of their organizations. The excessive pursuit of profit can make people do bad and unethical things. Not only money, but some people just don't have a typical moral compass to follow and if they do, they disregard it and as a result find themselves in trouble. I can't speak for other organizations, but in the Navy we follow core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. We are always reminded to follow the Navy core values so it stays relevant in our organizations culture. Now, this doesn't mean that everyone follows these of course, but for the most part it is embedded in us and these ethical values are shared by members and for that reason definitely impacts the behavior of most people in I think for the better. But it starts at the top. I think it is the responsibility of leadership in an organization to uphold and reinforce these values so that their subordinates follow suit. In the Navy, if juniors question their leaders values and morals, this can lead to a dysfunctional work environment. I'm sure in organizations where profit is a major factor, you run into cases where people are willing to do whatever it takes to make a sale or get their numbers up. This could be at the sacrifice of people's morals and values, but greed can make people turn a blind eye to what is right. In this case, I'm glad my job doesn't really focus on that so much so for the most part, we have a pretty ethical climate I'd say.

Reference: Chouaib, A. & Zaddem, F. (2013). The Ethical Climate at Work: Promoting Trust in Organizations. RIMHE : Revue Interdisciplinaire Management, Homme & Entreprise, 9,(5), 15-30. doi:10.3917/rimhe.009.0015.