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HR managers as ethical decision-makers: Mapping the terrain

Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, Diannah.Lowry{at}flinders.edu.au

Discourse surrounding the ethical responsibilities of human resource (HR) managers is in its infancy in Australia, despite an increasing concern with broad matters related to corporate governance and the ethical ‘behaviour’ of organisations. Recent industrial relations legislative changes in Australia arguably place greater responsibilities on HR managers, and raise issues related to the role they may take in promoting fairness and justice within the workplace. Based on a review of empirical findings from Australia and the United Kingdom, this paper attempts to map the theoretical terrain of the HR manager in terms of a range of decision-making options and resultant ethical positionings. From a synthesis of empirical findings and philosophical perspectives, a heuristic is derived which outlines the varieties of ethical or non-ethical stance an HR manager may make. The argument is made that an understanding of ethical decision-making in human resource management warrants the exploration of the dynamics involving ethical inaction, not just the dynamics of ethical action.

Key Words: ethical assertiveness • ethical decision-making • ethical muteness • HR managers and ethics • moral courage

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