Ensuring ethical competency measures in organizations: An exploratory study

Competency models provide a description of desired behaviors, skills and attributes that are intended to facilitate the achievement of organizational goals. In spite of the importance of ethical behavior towards sustainability of business, there is a conspicuous absence of ethical competency in the competency dictionary of organizations. Based on in-depth interviews of 21 heads of HR in Indian organizations, the present study proposed three core reasons for the absence of ethical competency measures in organizations. In addition the study explored the mechanisms followed by the organizations to reinforce and foster ethical behavior in their workforce. The study concludes by proposing a framework through which organizations ensure ethical behavior in their workforce. Implications of the study for both research and practice are discussed.