Examining the Role of Organizational Virtue in Professional Ethics Augmentation

Abstract

As a new branch of ethics, professional ethics seeks to respond to the ethical issues of various professions. Today, professional ethics has a strategic role in businesses, and strategic management specialists have identified appropriate ethical principles in an organization as a precondition for a quality strategic management. Professional ethics is the most important tool of business and administrative activities, but unfortunately in our religious community, there is no respect for professional ethics in the workplace. Organizational virtues which refer to the qualified behavior of organization members can play an important role in displaying the professional ethics. So, this study examines the role of organizational virtue in the development of professional ethics of Maskan Bank staff in Ardabil. To this end, organizational virtue was examined in five categories including optimism, trust, compassion, integrity, and forgiveness. Professional ethics was examined in eight dimensions of accountability, virtue and competitiveness, honesty, respect for others, respect towards social values and norms, justice, compassion for others, and loyalty. This applied study is a descriptive-survey research using a questionnaire. The sample included 118 employees of Maskan Bank of Ardabil. Data analysis was performed using Pearson and multivariate regression analysis. The results indicated that organizational virtue had a significant positive effect on the staff’s professional ethics. Optimism had the highest impact on the professional ethics of the staff and the least significance was related to forgiveness.