Ethical Management and Employee Experiences in Educational and Correctional Institutions: A Qualitative Comparative Study

Abstract

This study explores and compares employees’ experiences of ethical management, organizational support, workplace demands, and service-oriented behavior in two contrasting institutional settings: Universitas Sari Mulia (UNISM) and Lapas Perempuan Kelas IIA Martapura. A qualitative comparative design was employed. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with nine purposively selected participants, comprising five employees from UNISM and four from the correctional institution. Interview data were analyzed thematically and compared across cases. The findings indicate that employees interpret ethical management through fairness, integrity, transparency, consistency, and respectful treatment in everyday work. Organizational support takes both social and structural forms, including supervisory guidance, colleague assistance, access to information, coordination, and adequate facilities. Work demands differ by institutional context: participants at UNISM described overlapping academic and administrative tasks, deadlines, and coordination needs, while participants in the correctional institution described operational, security, discipline, and rehabilitation-related demands. Across both settings, participants associated service-oriented behavior with professionalism, accuracy, responsiveness, and respectful communication. The study highlights the importance of understanding ethical management in relation to context-specific demands and the resources available to employees.