The Role of Ethics in Organizational Internal Communication-A Synthesis and Agenda

In organizational and management studies, ethical issues associated with internal communication (IC) have been understudied and are marked by a lack of systematic study examining the function of ethics within the organizational framework. This research seeks to address the shortcomings by conducting a comprehensive literature review of the ethical stance of IC. We first address the evolution of ethics within the framework of ICA and establish that managers play a pivotal role in assuring the effectiveness of IC through ethical practices. Second, we elucidate the essential themes of ethical information communication at three requisite levels by detailing the antecedents and consequences of these levels: individual, organizational and management. Lastly, we present a guiding framework that delineates the role of ethics in IC and proposes pathways for future exploration.