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ABSTRACT. Logical and moral arguments have been made for the organizational importance of ethos or virtuousness, in addition to ethics and responsibility. Research evidence is beginning to provide, empirical support for such normative claims. This paper considers the relationship between ethics and ethos in contemporary organizations by summarizing emerging findings that link virtuousness and performance. The effect of virtue in organizations derives from its buffering and amplifying effects, both of which are described.
KEY WORDS: Virtue, ethics, positive organizational scholarship
Introduction
It has long been argued, from logic and principle, that organizations should consider supplementing an emphasis on ethics and corporate social responsibility with a concern for ethos or the development of organizational virtuousness (Arjoon, 2000). Emerging research evidence is now beginning to confirm such normative arguments with empirical findings. In this paper, we discuss the relationship between ethics and ethos by summarizing new research evidence that demonstrates the link between virtuousness and performance, particularly in the context of rapid change.
It is not news that organizational life is dynamic, turbulent, and challenging (Nelson and Winter, 1982). Fluctuating economic conditions make even the near future hard to anticipate (Atkinson, 1995). Only soothsayers and charlatans try to predict with any degree of certainty what the world will be like in a decade or more. Things change too fast. For example, the technology currently exists to put the equivalent of a full-size computer in a wristwatch, or to inject the equivalent of a laptop computer into the bloodstream. New computers will probably be etched on molecules instead of silicone wafers (Enriquez, 2000). The mapping of the human genome is probably the greatest source for change, for not only can bananas be genetically engineered to inoculate against malaria, but new organ development and physiological regulation promises to dramatically alter population life styles. Over 100 animals have been patented to date, for example, and 4 million new patent applications are filed each year related to bioengineering (Enriquez, 2000). Thus, not only is change currently ubiquitous and constant, but also the only thing certain is that the future remains uncertain.
Change and the role of ethics
Frequent and rapid change is especially prevalent for business organizations. Fundamental shifts are taking place in the technology, demographics, and scope of business,...