The Path of Measuring Moral Courage in the Workplace

摘要

The more employees at all levels have the moral courage to stand up for what is right, the greater the chance that an organization's ehtical infrastructure (including codes of conduct) will be effective in actuality. Ideally, moral courage is a measurable attribute, and constructing such a scale-especially for new hires-has attracted scholarly attention. Building on previous work in this area, the authors developed a study comprising three data-collection phases: first phase, first-responders and lay people; next two phases, firefighters. Known for their bravery, firefighters provide the foundation for other types of courage. After the validation and purification process, altruism and risk-taking behavior emerged as key factors for organizations to measure, while the relative importance clearly varies with the type of organization.