Ethics of Political Behavior

[Page 263]According to Lewis A. Froman, political behavior can be understood as “those activities that are not required as part of one’s organizational role but that influence, or attempt to influence, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within the organization” (quoted in Latif et al., 2001, p. 199). Other theorists define this phenomenon as activities leading to the acquisition and use of power, through various tactics, for one’s own ends. The ethical issue in political behavior is thus seen as that of a strategy of behavior in regard to power for the purpose of gaining a certain degree of influence.

The focus of this type of ethics consequently lies in cognitive strategies that are aimed at answering the following question: Why have I adopted such-and-such a ...