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The Values Change Management Cycle: Ethical Change Management

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Abstract

Culture is the most difficult thing about an organization to change in a lasting way. Our paper is predicated upon the idea that better ethics leadership through change is the foundation to more successful implementation of change. Ethical culture will enable the firm to initiate the change process from a stronger position: the obstacles to change such as mistrust, fear of uncertainty, failure of communication and empowerment will be easier to overcome in an atmosphere pursuing the ethically correct approach, combining ethical leadership with an ethical corporate culture. Our idea goes one step beyond the virtuous change circle by incorporating a series of check points a leader can reference to stay on a course of change management based in good ethical principle that will lead to effective change. Our model incorporates the concept of values into the management of change; this allows for a more comprehensive approach to change management by the utilization of well-known change management principles used in conjunction with basic principles of ethics. We argue that the change leader can depend on this more comprehensive approach for a better assurance of ethical and therefore more effective change. Our idea also would be effective regardless of the type of change confronting the organization and/or the leaders of the firm. Our point is that, while change is by its nature hard and there is an inclination to resist change, with ethical change management, the firm has a better chance of success.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New Orleans, 2000 Lakeshore Dr, New Orleans, LA, 70148, USA

    Dinah Payne & Cherie Trumbach

  2. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8Th St, Troy, NY, 12180-3590, USA

    Rajni Soharu

Authors
  1. Dinah Payne
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  2. Cherie Trumbach
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  3. Rajni Soharu
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Correspondence to Cherie Trumbach.

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Payne, D., Trumbach, C. & Soharu, R. The Values Change Management Cycle: Ethical Change Management. J Bus Ethics 188, 429–440 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05306-8

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