Ethics in Organizational Change in a Crisis Context

Authors

  • Joel Asiimwe Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (UCBC)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70619/vol3iss3pp1-10

Keywords:

Ethics, Organizational Change, Crisis Context

Abstract

Ethics is inseparable from leadership, either at personal or organizational levels. Without ethics in leadership, organizations may take on a role that could negatively impact the entire world. Ethics can be used to provide organizational leaders with guidelines to promote them as good role models. Since change is unavoidable, an organizational change without aiming at organizational development leads to uncertain results because not all changes produce positive results. Ethical leadership matters in the context of organizational change due to the need for followers to trust the integrity of their leaders. Using literature review method, this study explores the role of ethics in the process of organizational change and development, particularly in the contexts of multiple and extended crises where the leader needs to take into account the human consideration of each decision.

Author Biography

Joel Asiimwe, Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (UCBC)

Faculty of Philosophy, Leadership, and Applied Ethics

References

Ackerman, L. (1997) Development, transition or transformation: the question of a change in organizations. In: Van Eynde, D., Hoy, J. and Van Eynde, D. (eds) Organisation Development Classics. San Francisco, Jossey Bass.

Berube, D. (2012). Management of change vs. Change management. Plant Services. https://www.plantservices.com/articles/2012/10-management-of-change-vs-change-management/

Bridges, W. (1980). Transitions: Making sense of life’s changes. Addison-Wesley.

Brown, M. E., Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.03.002

Brunner, B. R. (Ed.). (2017). The Moral Compass of Public Relations. Routledge.

Cammi, L. D. (2012). Ethics and Leadership. North American Business Press, 9(6), 66–71.

Conner, D. (1990). The changing nation: Strategies for citizen action (Handout materials). Atlanta: ODR, Inc.

Coombs, T. (2014). Ongoing Crisis Communication: Planning, Managing, and Responding (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2009). Organization Development & Change (9th Ed.). South-Western.

Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2015). Organization Development & Change (10th Ed.). Cengage Learning.

Dalati, S. (2017). Managing Change in Banking Organizations: The Case of a UK Commercial Bank. Journal of Logistics, Informatics and Service Science, 4(1), 34–56.

Den Hartog, D. N. (2015). Ethical Leadership. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2, 409–434. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032414-111237

Egan, G. (1988). Change Agent Skills B: Managing Innovation and Change. University Associates.

Ferrari, A., Manotti, P., Balestrino, A., & Fabi, M. (2018). The ethics of organizational change in healthcare. Acta Biomed, 89(1), 27–39. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v89i1.7141

Hassan, A. T. (2018). Organizational Change Management: A Literature Review (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. 3135770). Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3135770

Jacobs, G., van Witteloostuijn, A., & Christe‐Zeyse, J. (2013). A theoretical framework of organizational change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 26(5), 772–792. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-09-2012-0137

Jin, Y., Pang, A., & Smith, J. (2018). Crisis communication and ethics: The role of public relations. Journal of Business Strategy, 39(1), 43–52. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-09-2016-0095

Karaxha, H., Karaxha, H., & Ramosaj, B. (2018). The Main Types of Organizational Changes: A Case Study of Kosovo. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, United Kingdom, VI(3), 26–39.

Keselman, D., & Saxe-Braithwaite, M. (2021). Authentic and ethical leadership during a crisis. Healthcare Management Forum, 34(3), 154–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/0840470420973051

Knox, C. C., Goodman, D., Entress, R. M., & Tyler, J. (2022). Compounding Disasters and Ethical Leadership: Case Studies from Louisiana and Texas. Public Integrity, 0(0), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2022.2026664

Lakshmi, B. (2014). Leadership Ethics in Today’s World: Key Issues and Perspectives. ASCI Journal of Management, 44(1), 66–72.

Marinescu, P. (2004). Public Institutions Management, University of Bucharest, Bucharest.

Mitonga-Monga, J., & Cilliers, F. (2016). Perceived ethical leadership in relation to employees’ organizational commitment in an organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo. African Journal of Business Ethics, 10(1), 36–51. https://doi.org/10.15249/10-1-122

Nadler, D., & Tushman, M. (1980). A Model for Diagnosing Organizational Behavior. Organizational Dynamics, 9(2), 35–51. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=2974

Nhedzi, A., & Gombarume, C. (2021). A Moral Compass of the Organisation During Crisis: Exploring the ethics roles of Strategic Communication Practice. African Journal of Business Ethics, 15(1), 28–48. https://doi.org/10.15249/15-1-275

Shakeel, F., Kruyen, P. M., & Thiel, S. V. (2019). Ethical Leadership as Process: A Conceptual Proposition. Public Integrity, 21(6), 613–624. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2019.1606544

Sharif, M. M., & Scandura, T. A. (2014). Do Perceptions of Ethical Conduct Matter During Organizational Change? Ethical Leadership and Employee Involvement. Journal of Business Ethics, 124, 185–196. https://doi.org/org/10.1007/s10551-013-1869-x

Stouten, J., Marius, van D., & De Cremer, D. (2012). Ethical Leadership. Journal of Personne Psychology, 11(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000059

Sveda, A. A. (2012). Organizational Change: Basic Theoretical Approaches. The Public Administration and Social Policies Review, 9(2), 74–81.

Thornton, L. F. (2020). What Ethical Leaders Believe: The Leading in Context Manifesto. Leading in Context. https://leadingincontext.com/2020/05/20/10-things-ethical-leaders-believe/

Wells, J. E., & Walker, N. A. (2016). Organizational Change and Justice: The Impact of Transparent and Ethical Leaders. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 9, 179–199. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jis.2016-0007

Wincek, J., Sousa, L. S., Myers, M. R., & Ozog, H. (2015). Organizational change management for process safety. Process Safety Progress, 34(1), 89–93. https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.11688

Downloads

Published

2023-07-12

How to Cite

Asiimwe, J. . (2023). Ethics in Organizational Change in a Crisis Context. Human Resource and Leadership, 3(3), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.70619/vol3iss3pp1-10

Issue

Section

Articles