IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v114y2013i2p265-282.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • 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
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10551-012-1346-y
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-012-1346-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Siegrist, Johannes & Siegrist, Karin & Weber, Ingbert, 1986. "Sociological concepts in the etiology of chronic disease: The case of ischemic heart disease," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 247-253, January.
    2. Itzhak Harpaz, 1990. "The Importance of Work Goals: An International Perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 21(1), pages 75-93, March.
    3. Treviño, Linda Klebe & Butterfield, Kenneth D. & McCabe, Donald L., 1998. "The Ethical Context in Organizations: Influences on Employee Attitudes and Behaviors," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 447-476, July.
    4. David Coldwell & Jon Billsberry & Nathalie Meurs & Philip Marsh, 2008. "The Effects of Person–Organization Ethical Fit on Employee Attraction and Retention: Towards a Testable Explanatory Model," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 78(4), pages 611-622, April.
    5. Mari Huhtala & Taru Feldt & Anna-Maija Lämsä & Saija Mauno & Ulla Kinnunen, 2011. "Does the Ethical Culture of Organisations Promote Managers’ Occupational Well-Being? Investigating Indirect Links via Ethical Strain," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(2), pages 231-247, June.
    6. Maureen Ambrose & Anke Arnaud & Marshall Schminke, 2008. "Individual Moral Development and Ethical Climate: The Influence of Person–Organization Fit on Job Attitudes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 77(3), pages 323-333, February.
    7. Muel Kaptein, 2009. "Ethics Programs and Ethical Culture: A Next Step in Unraveling Their Multi-Faceted Relationship," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 89(2), pages 261-281, October.
    8. Adam Barsky, 2008. "Understanding the Ethical Cost of Organizational Goal-Setting: A Review and Theory Development," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 81(1), pages 63-81, August.
    9. Siegrist, Johannes & Starke, Dagmar & Chandola, Tarani & Godin, Isabelle & Marmot, Michael & Niedhammer, Isabelle & Peter, Richard, 2004. "The measurement of effort-reward imbalance at work: European comparisons," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(8), pages 1483-1499, April.
    10. Muel Kaptein, 2010. "The Ethics of Organizations: A Longitudinal Study of the U.S. Working Population," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(4), pages 601-618, April.
    11. Schwepker, Charles Jr., 2001. "Ethical climate's relationship to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention in the salesforce," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 39-52, October.
    12. Wayne O’Donohue & Lindsay Nelson, 2009. "The Role of Ethical Values in an Expanded Psychological Contract," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 90(2), pages 251-263, December.
    13. Allen, Natalie J. & Meyer, John P., 1993. "Organizational commitment: Evidence of career stage effects?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 49-61, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Torsten M. Pieper & Ralph I. Williams Jr. & Scott C. Manley & Lucy M. Matthews, 2020. "What Time May Tell: An Exploratory Study of the Relationship Between Religiosity, Temporal Orientation, and Goals in Family Business," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 759-773, May.
    2. Maiju Kangas & Muel Kaptein & Mari Huhtala & Anna-Maija Lämsä & Pia Pihlajasaari & Taru Feldt, 2018. "Why Do Managers Leave Their Organization? Investigating the Role of Ethical Organizational Culture in Managerial Turnover," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(3), pages 707-723, December.
    3. Minna-Maaria Hiekkataipale & Anna-Maija Lämsä, 2017. "What Should a Manager Like Me Do in a Situation Like This? Strategies for Handling Ethical Problems from the Viewpoint of the Logic of Appropriateness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 457-479, October.
    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.
    5. 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.
    6. Guillem C. Cabana & Muel Kaptein, 2021. "Team Ethical Cultures Within an Organization: A Differentiation Perspective on Their Existence and Relevance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 170(4), pages 761-780, May.
    7. David Dawson, 2018. "Organisational Virtue, Moral Attentiveness, and the Perceived Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility in Business: The Case of UK HR Practitioners," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(4), pages 765-781, April.
    8. Leslie Sekerka & Debra Comer & Lindsey Godwin, 2014. "Positive Organizational Ethics: Cultivating and Sustaining Moral Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 119(4), pages 435-444, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maiju Kangas & Muel Kaptein & Mari Huhtala & Anna-Maija Lämsä & Pia Pihlajasaari & Taru Feldt, 2018. "Why Do Managers Leave Their Organization? Investigating the Role of Ethical Organizational Culture in Managerial Turnover," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(3), pages 707-723, December.
    2. Juliana Toro-Arias & Pablo Ruiz-Palomino & María Pilar Rodríguez-Córdoba, 2022. "Measuring Ethical Organizational Culture: Validation of the Spanish Version of the Shortened Corporate Ethical Virtues Model," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 176(3), pages 551-574, March.
    3. Guillem C. Cabana & Muel Kaptein, 2021. "Team Ethical Cultures Within an Organization: A Differentiation Perspective on Their Existence and Relevance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 170(4), pages 761-780, May.
    4. Elina Riivari & Anna-Maija Lämsä, 2019. "Organizational Ethical Virtues of Innovativeness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 223-240, March.
    5. Sebastian Goebel & Barbara E. Weißenberger, 2017. "The Relationship Between Informal Controls, Ethical Work Climates, and Organizational Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 141(3), pages 505-528, March.
    6. Michael S. McLeod & G. Tyge Payne & Robert E. Evert, 2016. "Organizational Ethics Research: A Systematic Review of Methods and Analytical Techniques," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(3), pages 429-443, March.
    7. Maiju Kangas & Taru Feldt & Mari Huhtala & Johanna Rantanen, 2014. "The Corporate Ethical Virtues Scale: Factorial Invariance Across Organizational Samples," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(1), pages 161-171, September.
    8. Valentine Sean & Godkin Lynn, 2016. "Ethics policies, perceived social responsibility, and positive work attitude," The Irish Journal of Management, Sciendo, vol. 35(2), pages 114-128.
    9. Pablo Ruiz-Palomino & Ricardo Martínez-Cañas & Joan Fontrodona, 2013. "Ethical Culture and Employee Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Person-Organization Fit," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(1), pages 173-188, August.
    10. Tanja Rabl & María Carmen Triana & Seo-Young Byun & Laura Bosch, 2020. "Diversity Management Efforts as an Ethical Responsibility: How Employees’ Perceptions of an Organizational Integration and Learning Approach to Diversity Affect Employee Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(3), pages 531-550, January.
    11. Elina Riivari & Anna-Maija Lämsä, 2014. "Does it Pay to Be Ethical? Examining the Relationship Between Organisations’ Ethical Culture and Innovativeness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(1), pages 1-17, September.
    12. Hsieh, Hui-Hsien & Wang, Yau-De, 2016. "Linking perceived ethical climate to organizational deviance: The cognitive, affective, and attitudinal mechanisms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(9), pages 3600-3608.
    13. Pablo Ruiz-Palomino & Ricardo Martínez-Cañas, 2014. "Ethical Culture, Ethical Intent, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Moderating and Mediating Role of Person–Organization Fit," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 120(1), pages 95-108, March.
    14. Maiju Kangas & Joona Muotka & Mari Huhtala & Anne Mäkikangas & Taru Feldt, 2017. "Is the Ethical Culture of the Organization Associated with Sickness Absence? A Multilevel Analysis in a Public Sector Organization," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(1), pages 131-145, January.
    15. Sean Valentine & Philip Varca & Lynn Godkin & Tim Barnett, 2010. "Positive Job Response and Ethical Job Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(2), pages 195-206, January.
    16. Charles H. Schwepker, 2019. "Strengthening Customer Value Development and Ethical Intent in the Salesforce: The Influence of Ethical Values Person–Organization Fit and Trust in Manager," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 913-925, October.
    17. Kangmin Lee, 2020. "The Effect of Supervisor Identification on Unethical Pro-Supervisor Behavior: The Moderating Role of Employability Perceptions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-16, December.
    18. 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.
    19. Jorien L. Pruijssers & Pursey P. M. A. R. Heugens & J. Oosterhout, 2020. "Winning at a Losing Game? Side-Effects of Perceived Tournament Promotion Incentives in Audit Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(1), pages 149-167, February.
    20. Dheeraj Sharma & Shaheen Borna & James Stearns, 2009. "An Investigation of the Effects of Corporate Ethical Values on Employee Commitment and Performance: Examining the Moderating Role of Perceived Fairness," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 89(2), pages 251-260, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:114:y:2013:i:2:p:265-282. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.