Centre for Financial Innovation

A narrative research design for moral courage of professionals

Conference

Narrative research is an appropriate method for studying the constructs and sensemaking of moral courage. Moral courage or speaking up by professionals is needed for maintaining ethical checks and balances in organizations.

Personal narratives give the researcher and the researched increased understanding of real-life individual and implicit behavior that encourages moral action by professionals. By reflecting on reasons for morally courageous actions, prototypes and implicit patterns become clearer. These insights fit the focus of a sensemaking-intuitive approach as most current approach to ethical decision-making. Insights from individual narratives can encourage and strengthen the professional in performing his or her much needed ethical role in the organization.

Reference Smit, M. (2016). A narrative research design for moral courage of professionals. In J. D. Rendtorff (Ed.), Perspectives on philosophy of management and business ethics (pp. 61-71). (Ethical economics book series; Vol. 51). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46973-7_5

Publication date

Jan 2016

Author(s)

Marion Smit

Research database