The organization context for moral development: Questions of power and access

It is argued that much research into processes of moral learning and development in organizations has been conducted under somewhat controlled conditions, and that these do not permit testing of individuals' thought and action under more extreme circumstances. Therefore in practice one needs to acknowledge the effect of the actual organizational context. Three aspects or issues concerning the effect of this context on interventions are identified: 1. Systemic factors, especially corporate culture, impact on individual behavior. 2. Consultants and developers may have difficulty when working with people at different levels of moral development. 3. Differential influence among members of an organization affects the possibility of, and the enactment of, moral development programs. Each of these considerations is discussed while employing conceptualizations based on Kohlberg's ideas. However, the question of influence and power is not one which has been addressed to any extent by writers in this particular area. It is argued that this must e done if the full potential of research into moral development in organizations is to be realized.