The social dynamics of ethical decision-making in a corporate entity: espoused versus enacted practices

Purpose The research explores the impact of socio-political dynamics upon espoused ethical decision-making within a defined corporate context. Design/methodology/approach Adopting an ethnographic research methodology, with data gained from participant observation and interviews by the principal author (as an “insider researcher”) over an 18-month period, the research explores the relationship between espoused and enacted corporate policy regarding ethical decision-making. Findings The study shows that ethical decision-making in an organisation requires an environment beyond enterprise structures, practices and procedures. In addition to being embedded in a supportive cultural context, ethical decision-making needs to be viewed as an indispensable value proposition. Research limitations/implications The capacity to generalise from this research is limited by its defined context: that is, a single global corporation. However, by using an interpretative research methodology, the research shows how socio-political dynamics impacted the execution of espoused policy regarding ethical decision-making within this corporation. Practical implications This research should prompt enterprises to rethink the organisational factors, which include values and political interests, that impact ethical decision-making and the responsible/ethical use of data. Originality/value Much of the extant research on this topic has adopted a positivist methodology, with few studies exploring the topic in a defined corporate setting by an embedded researcher. This ethnographic study, conducted by an insider-researcher, contributes findings that highlight the role of socio-political practices in the enactment of an espoused policy of ethical decision-making within a global corporation.