Transition and Transformation in Hungary: What Influences Ethical Decisions of Christian Leaders in the Marketplace?

by Krisztina Olah
June 4th, 2022

The changes that happened three decades ago initiated political, economic, and cultural transition in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. However, the transformation of value systems is still an ongoing process in post-Communist countries such as Hungary, where individuals and organizations face the shadows of the past, for instance, corruption, autocratic leadership, and counter-economy. The research project aimed to answer the question How do personal Christian values affect work, leadership, and business activities of individuals and their organizations in Hungary? Local and international literature on Christian ethics, business ethics, and ethical leadership were collected and presented. At the crossroad of sacred and secular, philosophy, theology, and business studies, and in addition to the different Christian denominations of Hungary, the results of the research project support the bridge-building between these areas. The mixed-method research comprises two phases. First, personal interviews were conducted with eight Hungarian Christian business leaders. Second, an online survey with both qualitative and quantitative questions was processed, which received 76 answers. The findings describe how the integrated life of Christian businesspeople help tackle corruption; what are the virtues of the ethical leaders; what ethical challenges the leaders face while doing business; what tools or resources they use; how these tools are evaluated; and what transformational tools are needed to overcome corruption in the Hungarian marketplace. The research project is part of the continuous transformation process that started in the early nineties and is still in progress today. Keywords include ethics, morality, Christian ethics, business ethics, virtue ethics, corruption, leadership, ethical leadership, transformational leadership.