#💡 #🟡 # informal elements of ethical culture ![[calendar-plus.svg]] <small>Dec 10, 2021</small> | ![[calendar-clock.svg]] <small>Jan 03, 2023</small> 🏷️ [[ethics]] Features of an organization's culture that are not officially recorded, but still influence moral behavior. - **Language** The type of talk used in daily conversations that reflects underlying attitudes and values. Encourage and empower employees to use moral terminology and challenge vocabulary that is inappropriate or misaligned with values. - **Norms** Widely accepted standards of behavior that show how an organization "really works." How do employees behave when the manager isn't around to observe them? Some norms support ethical behavior and others promote immoral behavior. > Norms generally exert more influence over individual behavior than formal rules and policies do, which helps explain why some codes of ethics are ineffectual (p. 274). - **Rituals** Rituals are scripted events that recur at regular intervals and help shape our beliefs. There are six common types of rituals in organizations: 1. Rites of passage 2. Rites of degradation (e.g., officer stripped of rank) 3. Rites of enhancement (e.g., VIA awards) 4. Rites of renewal (e.g., team-building, Six Sigma quality processes) 5. Rites of conflict reduction (e.g., committee or task force meetings) 6. Rites of integration (e.g., holiday parties, conventions) - **Stories** Narratives "provide meaning, impart values, and promote desired behavior" (p. 276). Important to tell stories that reinforce cultural values and depict heroes who embody those values and provide role models. ## Sources [[Organizational Ethics - Johnson 2019]]