Beyond the organizational bases of ethical work climates A new theory and measure文档.docVIP

BEYOND THE ORGANIZATIONAL BASES OF ETHICAL WORK CLIMATES: A NEW THEORY AND MEASURE Anke U. Arnaud University of Central Florida PO Box 161400 Orlando, FL 32816-1400 aarnaud@bus.ucf.edu Marshall Schminke* University of Central Florida PO Box 161400 Orlando, FL 32816-1400 407-380-5819 mschminke@bus.ucf.edu *Corresponding author BEYOND THE ORGANIZATIONAL BASES OF ETHICAL WORK CLIMATES: A NEW THEORY AND MEASURE ABSTRACT This research develops a new theory and measure of ethical work climate. It builds on Victor and Cullen’s (1988) seminal work by extending the domain of ethical climate beyond moral judgment, to include dimensions of moral sensitivity, moral motivation, and moral character. Data from 652 employees across 101 organizations provided support for our four component theory of ethical climate and for the reliability and validity of a new measure based upon it. Results indicate that the components of ethical climate are distinct and relate to outcomes such as ethical behavior, helping behavior, politics, interpersonal deviance, ethical program follow-through, and performance. Recent and frequent reports of ethical transgressions such as embezzlement, insider trading, and corporate fraud have rekindled researchers’ and practitioners’ interest in ethical work climate (EWC), the organizational context in which ethical and unethical activities occur. The majority of this research rests upon Victor and Cullen’s (1988) seminal ASQ paper “The organizational bases of ethical work climates,” in which the authors developed and tested a theory and measure of EWC. This framework has become the dominant foundation for ethical climate research, providing the basis for nearly 75 percent of all studies of ethical climate. However, the Victor and Cullen (1988) framework has been the target of a number of serious critiques on both theoretical and empirical fronts (e.g., Wimbush, Shepard, and Markham, 1997a; Vaicys, Barnett, and Brown, 1996; Arnaud and Schminke,