ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY IN DECISION-MAKING WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS.

Abstract

This article examines ethical responsibility in organizational decision-making from a philosophical and sociological perspective grounded in the phenomenological approach of the Sociology of Organizations. Drawing on the work of Alfred Schutz, Herbert Simon, Max Weber, Niklas Luhmann, and Berger and Luckmann, the study analyzes decision-making as a social action shaped by meaning, values, and interpretations constructed through everyday organizational interaction. The author argues that every decision involves freedom of choice and therefore moral responsibility, which is conditioned by factors such as organizational hierarchy, role differentiation, institutionalized habits, and the specific rationalities operating within organizations. The article addresses the concept of bounded rationality, emphasizing that decisions are made with limited information and are influenced by non-rational elements such as subjectivity, values, and cognitive dissonance. A distinction is drawn between legal responsibility and moral responsibility, highlighting that the latter is closely linked to the actor’s intention and to the social impact of their actions. The study also explores how decisions are legitimized and internalized by organizational members through communication processes, habituation, and the acceptance of shared norms. It concludes that fostering an organizational culture grounded in ethical principles enhances individual moral coherence, institutional performance, and the social legitimacy of organizations.