Organizational virtue is associated with individual virtue in the context of conflict

Flourishing requires the cultivation of virtue amid conflict and is facilitated across various levels, from individuals and relationships, to organizations and cultures. However, most research has focused on personal or dyadic dynamics of well-being, often ignoring organizational contexts. We sought to clarify the role of virtuous organizations in individual virtue. Three preregistered studies (N = 1,601) examined the association between organizational virtue and individual self-reported virtuousness in the context of conflict. Study 1 (n = 495) provided correlational evidence individual virtue was positively associated with forgiveness and organizational virtue and provided initial evidence that individual virtue was positively associated with organizational virtue. Study 2 (n = 478) examined potential mechanisms for the relationship between organizational virtue and individual virtue. Study 3 (n = 628) provided experimental evidence that reminders of organizational virtue increase personal virtuousness. Consistent with broader positive psychology theorizing, developing healthy, virtuous organizations may be one pathway toward cultivating individual character in the context of conflict.