Ethical failures in public-impact institutions are often not the result of individual misconduct alone, but arise from the structural design of organizational systems that normalize opacity, discretionary decision-making, and short-term efficiency at the expense of human dignity and long-term societal responsibility. This manuscript introduces the Human-Centered Ethical Systems Framework (HCESF), a governance-oriented institutional design framework that integrates systems thinking, human-centered ethics, and intergenerational responsibility into organizational architecture. The framework shifts ethical inquiry from reactive correction to preventive system design, emphasizing how institutional structures themselves shape ethical or unethical outcomes. Unlike conventional approaches to organizational ethics that are often applied instrumentally or after harm has occurred, HCESF emphasizes embedded ethical governance mechanisms such as structured decision-making stages, transparency in institutional processes, and accountability integrated directly into organizational systems. The framework is designed to be transferable across institutional domains, including human resource systems, public service delivery, and healthcare environments. By conceptualizing institutions as moral and social stewards responsible for shaping long-term societal outcomes, HCESF provides a systems-based model for embedding dignity, fairness, sustainability, and accountability into organizational design. It offers a foundational approach for rethinking governance in complex institutions where human decisions and structured systems interact continuously. Author Note: The author brings professional experience in human resources and organizational administration across healthcare, power, construction, media, and technology sectors.
Taha Khan (Thu,) studied this question.