Values And Ethical Decision Making Research Paper

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Values and Ethical Decision Making

MGT 521

December 19, 2011

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Values and Ethical Decision Making

Values differ greatly across generations, cultures, genders, personalities, and many other factors (Robbins and Judge, 2010). Yet, Robbins and Judge stated, a person 's "[v]alues represent basic convictions that "a specific mode of conduct or endstate of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence" (p. 145). In fact, values are the foundation of a person 's understanding of the attitudes ' and motivation 's of others
As noted by Yukl (2010), "[i]nfluence is the essence of leadership, and powerful leaders can have a substantial impact on the lives of followers and the fate of an organization" (p. 408). The personal values and ethics of the leaders of an organization often drive the values and ethical behavior of that organization (Yukl, 2010). Thus, it is paramount the values of organizational leaders are consistent and in line with the values of their organization (Yukl,
According to the Ethics Awareness Inventory, these commitments tend to lead to the perspective that what counts most is common agreement about that which positively affects the future of society (Williams Institute Ethics Awareness Inventory Assessment, 2011). An organization that focuses on what most positively affects society as a whole is less concerned with ensuring each individual need is scrutinized because if a need did not exist that individual would not be seeking the services being