“It’s Business”: A Qualitative Study of Moral Injury in Business Settings; Experiences, Outcomes and Protecting and Exacerbating Factors

Moral injury has primarily been studied from a clinical perspective to assess, diagnose and treat the outcomes of morally injurious experiences in healthcare and military settings. Little is known about the lived experiences of those who have had their moral values transgressed in business settings. In this qualitative study, we examine the lived experiences of 16 employees in for-profit business organisations who identified as having suffered moral injury. Based on our findings, we propose a conceptual pathway to moral injury, which suggests that experiencing moral transgressions has a profound impact on employees as they feel a threat to their "good-me" identity, however, employees employ various coping strategies to minimise the impact during the event. This study advances our understanding of the experience of moral injury in business settings and the pathway explaining how and why people react differently to moral transgressions.

• “It’s Business”: A Qualitative Study of Moral Injury in Business Settings; Experiences, Outcomes and Protecting and Exacerbating Factors (PDF, 804 Kb)