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The Antecedents of Moral Imagination in the Workplace: A Social Cognitive Theory Perspective

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  • Brian Whitaker
  • Lindsey Godwin

Abstract

As corporate scandals proliferate, organizational researchers and practitioners have made calls for research providing guidance for those wishing to influence positive moral decision-making and behavior in the workplace. This study incorporates social cognitive theory and a vignette-based cognitive measure for moral imagination to examine (a) moral attentiveness and employee creativity as important antecedents of moral imagination and (b) creativity as a moderator of the positive relationship between moral attentiveness and moral imagination. Based on the results from supervisor–subordinate dyadic data (N = 162) obtained from employed students, hypotheses were largely supported as expected. Implications are discussed. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Brian Whitaker & Lindsey Godwin, 2013. "The Antecedents of Moral Imagination in the Workplace: A Social Cognitive Theory Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(1), pages 61-73, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:114:y:2013:i:1:p:61-73
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1327-1
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    5. Pamsy P. Hui & Warren C. K. Chiu & Elvy Pang & John Coombes & Doreen Y. P. Tse, 2022. "Seeing Through and Breaking Through: The Role of Perspective Taking in the Relationship Between Creativity and Moral Reasoning," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(1), pages 57-69, September.
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    8. Paul T. Harper, 2021. "The Symbolic Imagination: Plato and Contemporary Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(1), pages 5-21, January.
    9. Lamberto Zollo & Massimiliano Matteo Pellegrini & Cristiano Ciappei, 2017. "What Sparks Ethical Decision Making? The Interplay Between Moral Intuition and Moral Reasoning: Lessons from the Scholastic Doctrine," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(4), pages 681-700, November.
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    13. F. Robert Buchanan, 2020. "Hopefulness and hardship: ethical orientations of the Palestinian diaspora," International Journal of Ethics and Systems, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 36(4), pages 507-529, August.
    14. Yongjun Zhang & Shengnan Du, 2023. "Moral cleansing or moral licensing? A study of unethical pro-organizational behavior’s differentiating Effects," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 1075-1092, September.
    15. Theodorakis, Ioannis G. & Painesis, Grigorios, 2022. "Ad eroticism from a psychological distance perspective: Investigating its effects in light of consumers’ sex, ethical judgments, and moral attentiveness," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 524-539.
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