Examining the Influence of Organizational Culture on Employees' Ethical Behavior in Public Sector Organizations Richard H
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University of Texas at Tyler Scholar Works at UT Tyler Human Resource Development Theses and Human Resource Development Dissertations Fall 11-1-2015 Examining the Influence of Organizational Culture on Employees' Ethical Behavior in Public Sector Organizations Richard H. Afedzie Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uttyler.edu/hrd_grad Part of the Human Resources Management Commons Recommended Citation Afedzie, Richard H., "Examining the Influence of Organizational Culture on Employees' Ethical Behavior in Public Sector Organizations" (2015). Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations. Paper 8. http://hdl.handle.net/10950/301 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Human Resource Development at Scholar Works at UT Tyler. It has been accepted for inclusion in Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Works at UT Tyler. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ON EMPLOYEES’ ETHICAL BEHAVIOR IN PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS by RICHARD H. AFEDZIE A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Human Resource Development and Technology Jerry W. Gilley, Ed.D., Committee Co-Chair Judy Y. Sun, Ph.D., Committee Co-Chair College of Business and Technology The University of Texas at Tyler November 2015 © Copyright by Richard H. Afedzie 2015 All rights reserved Dedication I dedicate this work to the two special people in my life, who supported and pushed me through the long arduous days and nights, Freda and Andrew Afedzie. Your fervent belief in me and constant encouragement will forever be remembered. Many thanks for your unflinching support and for motivating me to keep working hard. You are my inspiration! And to my Dad and Mom, Peter Kwesi and Agnes Eva Afedzie, who are with the Lord, but taught me the values of hard work and brought me up to be the man I am today. Finally, to the memory of my Mom-in Law, Mrs. Gladys Agyeiwaa Bugyei, your words of encouragement and prayers gave me the drive and strength to achieve my life- long dream. Acknowledgements This journey has been the culmination of many years of hard work and sacrifice by many people who supported me with prayers and love along the way. Thank you God for bringing these wonderful individuals in my life. To my family, Freda and Andrew, you were my pillar and the source of strength throughout this endeavor. To my dissertation committee: I was particularly fortunate to work under the direction of great and wonderful professors. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you for your calm influence, inspiration, encouragement and guidance. My special thanks goes to Dr. Gilley. You were such a great listener, brilliant professor and a kind person. You always responded to my emails in a very timely manner and always inspired me to work hard. I will forever be grateful to you for making my academic journey, from the master’s level through the Ph.D. a smooth and pleasant one. Your concern and kindness are truly appreciated. Dr. Judy Sun, your support and motivation guiding me through this work is well appreciated. You were always patient and constantly wanted the best for me. Thank you for your caring, thoughtful and constructive suggestions through the entire dissertation process. You made my world a happy one, as I worked through the first chapter to the very last. You are indeed a great mentor and a wonderful professor! Dr. Paul Roberts, thank you for your constant encouragement and reminder to always keep to a timeline through my dissertation work. You always made time for me whenever I scheduled an appointment to visit with you. Your suggestions and comments were indispensable tools in guiding the direction of my study. Professor Cowart, you are the ultimate professor! You were my greatest cheerleader and a good friend. You were always patient to listen to my frustrations and laugh with me during the entire process. Your drive and expertise on ethics will always be remembered and cherished. You were always the one to call when I felt confused and distraught with the literature. I cannot forget the numerous face-to-face meetings during the summer and spring semesters. Thanks for your kind heart. And to my special professor Andrea Ellinger, thank you for your letter of recommendation and guiding me through the graduate program with your thoughtful critiques and suggestions. I am also grateful to my great friend, Dr. Heshium Lawrence for helping me with my diagrams and charts. This journey could not have been possible without the prayers, love and support from my dear brother and sister, Kenne and Mary Kwateng. You were always loyal and kind to us. Your regular phone calls and concern are well appreciated. Freda, Andrew and I are truly blessed for accepting us as your family. To my dear sister, Beverly Davis, thank you for your indefatigable and helpful spirit. Your words of encouragement and inspiration kept me focused through the entire journey and thank you for being such a wonderful editor. To Anna Holmes and Sandra Wright, thank you for guiding me through the interview process. And special thanks to the 17 participants who offered me 40 minutes of their time to interview them. You were all wonderful! And to my friends and relatives, Alexander Ankomah, Dr. Samuel Agyemang, Seth Assan, Henry Addae, and Dr. Robert Yawson, thank you for your support, encouragement and urging me to dream big! God Bless you all! To my fellow doctoral candidates, James Aller, Steve Maffei and Bo Chapman, I will always appreciate your support, attention and kindness. Table of Contents List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………………...v List of Figures …………………………………………………………………………….vi Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………….vii Chapter One: Introduction ……………………………………………………………….. 1 Background to the Problem ……………………………………………………… 1 Statement of the Problem ………………………………………………………… 3 Purpose of the Study ……………………………………………………………... 4 Research Questions ………………………………………………………………. 4 Overview of Research Design …………………………………………………… 5 Significance of the Study ………………………………………………………… 8 Definitions ……………………………………………………………………….10 Chapter Summary ………………………………………………………………. 12 Chapter Two: Review of the Literature ………………………………………………… 13 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………... 13 Historical Perspectives of Organizational Culture ……………………………… 14 Defining Organizational Culture ………………………………………………...15 Typology of Organizational Culture ……………………………………………. 16 Defiance ………………………………………………………………… 16 Compliance ……………………………………………………………... 17 Neglect ………………………………………………………………….. 17 Character ………………………………………………………………... 17 Empirical Studies on Each Construct …………………………………………... 18 Organizational Culture and Public Sector Organizations ………………. 18 Cultural Values …………………………………………………………. 20 Ethical Culture and Programs in Public Sector Organizations …………. 25 Cultural Aspects of Trust and Honesty in Public Sector Organizations …………………………………………………………… 34 Overview of Organizational Culture and Ethics in HRD ………………. 37 Characteristics and History of the Public Sector Organizations ……………… 40 Gap in the Literature ……………………………………………………………. 42 Conceptual Framework …………………………………………………………. 43 Chapter Summary ………………………………………………………………. 45 i Chapter Three: Methodology .............................................................................................47 Introduction ...........................................................................................................47 Research Questions ...............................................................................................47 Research Context ...................................................................................................48 Research Design.....................................................................................................48 Pilot Study ..............................................................................................................50 Interview Protocol ……………………………………………………….51 Sample Selection and Strategy …………………………………………………..51 Participants ………………………………………………………………52 Data Collection …………………………………………………………………. 53 Interviews ……………………………………………………………….. 54 Documents and Archives ……………………………………………….. 58 Confidentiality ..........................................................................................58 Research Site ……………………………………………………………………..58 Data Analysis ..........................................................................................................59 Open Coding .............................................................................................62 Axial Coding .............................................................................................63 Coding Scheme .....................................................................................................63 Validity ..................................................................................................................66 Reliability ...............................................................................................................67 Triangulation …………………………………………………………….68 Member Checking ……………………………………………………….68 Assumptions........................................................................................................... 69 Limitations ……………………………………………………………………… 70 Research Bias ……………………………………………………………70 Clustered Departments in a Form