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Decoupling in Organizational Ethics: An Institutional Perspective

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Abstract

Institutional decoupling represents a pervasive phenomenon in modern society, one that can be defined as a gap between formalized policies and real practices, or between means and ends. Using an exploratory approach, this study investigates seven cases of decoupling between declared organizational ethics policies and managerial practices in seven medium-sized firms. The results outline the contextual elements leading to decoupling situations, the rationalization of top managers, and the strategies employed to control and exploit the decoupling situation. The chapter also discusses the influence of decoupling on the work-related satisfaction of employees, identifying several different types of perceptions and behaviors.

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Correspondence to Călin Gurău Ph.D. .

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Gurău, C. (2017). Decoupling in Organizational Ethics: An Institutional Perspective. In: Vaduva, S., Fotea, I., Thomas, A. (eds) Business Ethics and Leadership from an Eastern European, Transdisciplinary Context. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45186-2_10

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