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Ethics from Below: Secrecy and the Maintenance of Ethics

Author

Listed:
  • Dima Younes

    (Emlyon Business School)

  • David Courpasson

    (Emlyon Business School and Cardiff University)

  • Marie-Rachel Jacob

    (Emlyon Business School)

Abstract

Secrecy and ethics are often seen as opposing forces within organizations. Secret work is viewed as unethical, as it excludes others from knowing and is associated with self-interested behavior. We contend that this view does not account for the dynamic inherent to secrecy and to the fact that ethics is embedded in social relations. This paper suggests an alternative view. We consider secrecy as a social process which allows employees to maintain their ethics when faced with managerial policies that affect the quality of their work. Building on an in-depth case study of a team of journalists who worked in secret after their managers decided to prioritize the interests of shareholders and advertising firms, we show how these journalists managed to maintain collective ethics through secrecy and to do their work according to their own moral principles. This paper offers two primary contributions. First, we show a mutually beneficial relationship between ethics and secrecy in organizations, wherein secrecy helps maintaining ethics in everyday work. Second, the paper shows how secrecy can lead to ethical resistance, via a transformation of the power relationship with managers.

Suggested Citation

  • Dima Younes & David Courpasson & Marie-Rachel Jacob, 2020. "Ethics from Below: Secrecy and the Maintenance of Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(3), pages 451-466, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:163:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s10551-018-4029-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-018-4029-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. William Maria, 2006. "Brother Secret, Sister Silence: Sibling Conspiracies Against Managerial Integrity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 65(3), pages 219-234, May.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Maryam Aldossari & Thomas Calvard, 2022. "The Politics and Ethics of Resistance, Feminism and Gender Equality in Saudi Arabian Organizations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(4), pages 873-890, December.

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