This document discusses how leaders can create an ethical organizational climate. It states that leaders are largely responsible for the ethical behaviors of their organizations as they act as ethics officers who set an example through their own conduct. Unethical leaders fail to live up to ethical values and priorities. The document also discusses five types of ethical climates identified by researchers and signs of a healthy ethical climate such as humility, zero tolerance for destructive behaviors, integrity, justice, trust, focus on process, and structural reinforcement.
SOURCE: Jennings, M. M. (2006). The seven signs of ethical collapse: How to spot moral meltdowns in companies . . . before it’s too late. New York: St. Martin’s Press.