This review of literature is a summary of the major theories and research on
organizational culture and ethical leadership and the importance of the role of
organizational culture as an enabler of workplace integrity and trust. Specifically this
review will present historical and prevailing thought that examines the notion of a values
revolution and why values are becoming a business imperative and a competitive
business advantage. A review of the literature will reveal an increasing emphasis on the
importance of ethical behavior on the part of organizational leaders and how ethics and
effective leadership are so closely related to the point of inseparability (Butcher, 1987).
The study includes an exploratory review of a sampling of organizations that illustrate
how employee behavior can be impacted by an organizational culture of trust and how
these behaviors are manifested, such as an increase in values-based decision-making or
other tangible examples. The research identified how organizations are establishing and
reinforcing acceptable ethical leadership behaviors and principles that can result in an
ethical and sustainable organizational culture of trust. The researcher explored the role of
leadership and the leader’s influence in positively or negatively transforming the
perceptions and behaviors of an organization in representing and upholding the espoused
values of the culture. Further the study sought key themes that represent this leader
behavior manifested in tangible actions. To illustrate, by way of example, this study
explored whether in a high-trust workplace culture, employees are more likely to speak
up and whether the role of leadership can impact the environment that enables a speak-up
culture.