We're all ethical aren't we? A reflection on researcher values in organizational and management research

Abstract

In recent years, relatively little organizational or management research has focused on personal welfare detached from economic or organizational performance. Similarly, the mainstream management literature has tended to overlook the social role and impact of organizations. This suggests the values underlying much of this research relate to the economic interests of capital rather than the public interest at individual, group, or societal level. Yet there has been little discussion or debate on this, or the relationship between the personal values of researchers and the context in which they work, and the researchers' ethical obligations to participants, organizations, and society. This paper discusses some of these issues, and reflects upon how this may have occurred.