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Ethical Organisational Culture as a Context for Managers’ Personal Work Goals

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  • Mari Huhtala
  • Taru Feldt
  • Katriina Hyvönen
  • Saija Mauno

Abstract

The aims of this study were to investigate what kinds of personal work goals managers have and whether ethical organisational culture is related to these goals. The sample consisted of 811 Finnish managers from different organisations, in middle and upper management levels, aged 25–68 years. Eight work-related goal content categories were found based on the managers self-reported goals: (1) organisational goals (35.4 %), (2) competence goals (26.1 %), (3) well-being goals (12.1 %), (4) career-ending goals (7.3 %), (5) progression goals (6.8 %), (6) prestige/influence goals (4.2 %), (7) job change goals (4.2 %) and (8) employment contract goals (3.9 %). Ethical organisational culture operated as a context for personal goal setting: Those managers who evaluated their organisational culture as more ethical were more likely to report organisational goals (e.g. goals toward the success or performance of the organisation). However, if managers gave lower ratings regarding ethical culture, then they named job change and career-ending goals in more cases. Therefore, investing into ethical virtues of the organisational culture can promote managers’ personal work goals, which also benefit the organisation. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Mari Huhtala & Taru Feldt & Katriina Hyvönen & Saija Mauno, 2013. "Ethical Organisational Culture as a Context for Managers’ Personal Work Goals," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 265-282, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:114:y:2013:i:2:p:265-282
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1346-y
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    Cited by:

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    4. Raminta Pučėtaitė & Aurelija Novelskaitė & Anna-Maija Lämsä & Elina Riivari, 2016. "The Relationship Between Ethical Organisational Culture and Organisational Innovativeness: Comparison of Findings from Finland and Lithuania," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(4), pages 685-700, December.
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    7. Minna-Maaria Hiekkataipale & Anna-Maija Lämsä, 2019. "(A)moral Agents in Organisations? The Significance of Ethical Organisation Culture for Middle Managers’ Exercise of Moral Agency in Ethical Problems," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 147-161, March.
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