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Ethical Climate(s), Organizational Identification, and Employees' Behavior.
Manuel Teresi1, Davide Dante Pietroni1, Massimiliano Barattucci2
1Laboratory of Social Psychology, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 6, 2019
Summary
A friendship-based ethical climate fosters better employee attitudes and intentions, driven by organizational identification and commitment. This contrasts with self-interest climates, impacting employee retention and compensation.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Behavior
- Social Psychology
- Business Ethics
Background:
- Ethical climate shapes organizational conduct and ethical issue resolution.
- Understanding ethical climates is crucial for organizational functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effects of self-interest versus friendship ethical climates on employee reactions.
- To investigate the mediating roles of organizational identification and commitment.
Main Methods:
- Two scenario-based experiments with 265 participants.
- Participants evaluated organizations with friendship or self-interest ethical climates.
- Measures included identification, commitment, perceived morality, turnover intention, and wage expectations.
Main Results:
- A friendship ethical climate positively predicted employee attitudes and behavioral intentions.
- Organizational identification and commitment mediated the effects of ethical climate.
- Employees were less willing to switch from a friendship to a self-interest climate and demanded higher compensation.
Conclusions:
- Friendship-based ethical climates enhance pro-organizational behavior through identification and commitment.
- Organizational identification and commitment are vital for employee engagement and retention.
- Findings offer insights for interventions promoting positive organizational behaviors.