ABS448 - Capacitating ethical cultures: A matrix

This paper pertains to our 20-year long research program which shows how ethics-related characteristics of organizations impact the degree to which leaders can exercize their ethical judgment (Langlois et al, 2010; Langlois & Lapointe, 2014), reinforcing or undermining in return the creation of more ethical cultures within organizations. Case studies conducted in different contexts led us to identify a matrix composed of four types of ethical cultures, the most desirable being the Capacitating Culture. Inspired by Sen’s work (1999), we define a capacitating culture as characterized by practices which allow all members to participate freely within a general framework of an organization’s mission and vision. The free agency of all workers is supported and promoted through rules and resources which allow them to fully engage in the decision-making process about values, principles and actions the organization should prioritize. Workers are no more «passive recipients» (Sen, 1999, p. 53) who merely function within the organization, rather they become active ethical agents in its undertakings.