Organizational Ethics

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Every organization has their own set of beliefs and culture. An organization cannot run without an effective leader making sound decisions. Ethics are moral principles based on right and wrong. According to Jones (2013), the sources of organizational ethics come from: society, professional, and individual. Society, professional, and individual are the three principal sources of ethical values and are vital to organizational effectiveness.
To understand an organization's ethical values, it's useful to discuss the sources of ethics (Jones, 2013). Societal ethics are the unwritten norms and values that are automatically followed in society. Social ethics are appropriate behavior expected from a society as a whole. It originates from the collective experiences of people and cultures. Societal ethics often coincide with professional and business ethics.
Professional ethics incorporate personal, organizational, and corporate standards of behavior expected in an organization. Certain professions are bounded by the rules and values of their profession (Jones, 2013). For example, a doctor is bound by certain ethical decisions when treating patients. A doctor is limited to an extent of what they can do in some situations. Doctors are not supposed to perform unnecessary medical procedures and are held accountable to act in the best interest of a patient. Jones (2013) affirmed that people often assume the rules and values of their profession. Ethics is important to practice even when no one is watching. The source of professional ethics ultimately defines individual ethics.
Each of us has a personal code of ethics, or system of moral principles and values (Ober, 2009). Our personal ethics represents our personal beliefs about wh...

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... conduct deemed to be ethical. An organization that promotes ethical behavior, will tend to attract good employees (Ober, 2009). Acting as an ethical leader in today’s society shows true courage and strength (Jones, 2013). Every day we are faced with ethical decisions. Regardless of the size of an organization, every leader faces challenges and making sound ethical choices. When faced with having to make an ethical choice, get the facts, evaluate the options, make a decision and act on it, and explain your rationale. How a leader chooses to handle ethical conflicts in the sets the example for everyone to follow.

Works Cited

Jones, G.R. (2013). Organization theory, design and change. (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Prentice Hall.

Ober, Scott. (2009) Contemporary Business Communication (7th ed.). Mason, OH: South- Western, Cengage Learning

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