Emergence of Ethical Issues During Strategic Change Implementation

Using qualitative data from a Fortune 500 company undergoing a strategic change, I describe the emergence of three ethical issues and build a theory to explain how this emergence unfolds. I find that some employees reframe the meaning of strategic issues as involving ethical implications because of trigger points, ambiguity, and the use of an available employee welfare frame. These employees take the meaning of strategic issues and reinterpret them as either leading to harmful consequences or the violation of a right. I conclude by discussing the theoretical implications for business ethics and sensemaking research, and the practical implications for responding to ethical issues.