Academy of Management Review · 1986 · 1.3K citations · 0 references
Social SciencesOrganizational BehaviorPsychologyBusiness EthicsMoral DevelopmentMoral PsychologyBehavioral EthicsEthical Decision-makingEthical TheoriesMoral Decision-makingMoral ReasoningOrganizational EthicsCognitive Moral DevelopmentEthical Decision-making DevelopmentMoral Development StagesMoral Reasoning DevelopmentMoral Reasoning In BusinessOrganizational Ethics Decision-makingSituational Variables
The model builds on Kohlberg’s cognitive moral development framework, which supplies definitions, measurement tools, and theoretical foundations for future business ethics research. The study proposes an interactionist model that integrates individual and situational variables to explain and predict ethical decision‑making behavior in organizations. The model combines individual variables such as moral development with situational variables to predict ethical decision‑making. The authors present research propositions and discuss practical implications.
An interactionist model of ethical decision making in organizations is proposed. The model combines individual variables (moral development, etc.) with situational variables to explain and predict the ethical decision-making behavior of individuals in organizations. A major component of the model is based on Kohlberg's cognitive moral development model which provides the construct definition, measurement tools, and theory base to guide future business ethics research. Research propositions are offered and practical implications are discussed.