Tag Archives: ethics

Implicit Assumptions and Organizational Context- A Recipe for Immoral Behavior?

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Topic: Ethics
Publication: Journal of Applied Psychology
Article: Automatic ethics: The effects of implicit assumptions and contextual cues on moral behavior.
Authors: Reynolds, S. J., Leavitt, K., & DeCelles, K. A.
Reviewed By: Bobby Bullock

 

In recent years, the news has been filled with stories about organizations committing
gross violations against the environment, their stakeholders, and even the American public.  So it’s not a stretch to imagine that many people view business itself as inherently immoral.  What are the effects of such implicit assumptions about the moral nature of business?

Reynolds, Leavitt, and Decelles (2010) sought to answer questions like this in a recent study where they examined how employees’ implicit assumptions about the morality of business in general can impact day-to-day business decisions and moral behavior on the job. Their research supported the idea that organizational cues which support individual beliefs about the moral nature of business can combine to create more extreme conclusions (i.e., more immoral behavior or more moral behavior) than would be the case without such organizational cues.

Reynolds’ team found that individuals who inherently believed that business is moral (e.g., intense competition and emphasizing shareholder obligations and financial performance is okay) were much more likely to behave in an immoral fashion when their environment emphasized
success and competition On the other hand, individuals who believed that business is inherently immoral (e.g., business practices are overly aggressive and harmful) were much less likely to act immorally when similar cues were presented. However, it is also important to note that when opposite cues such as an emphasis on collaboration were presented in this study, both groups behaved morally!

  • The implications for moral behavior from this study are profound:
  • The organization holds much more influence than previously thought concerning whether or not employees behave morally or immorally
  • Although one can measure an employee’s implicit assumptions regarding their beliefs about the “morality” of business, it is the organizational culture itself that will most likely cue immoral behavior
  • Organizations should be aware of the messages that they send to their employees- if there is an extreme focus on competition and success at all costs, many people will dowhateverit takes to achieve it (hmm… sound familiar?)
  • And, according to Reynolds et al. (2010), organizations might want to take a more proactive approach to influence employee perceptions about the moral obstacles present in the complex world of business so that they may be more aware of this interaction effect

 

Reynolds, S., Leavitt, K., &
DeCelles, K. (2010). Automatic ethics: The effects of implicit assumptions and
contextual cues on moral behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(4), 752-760.

Cheating on Unproctored Internet-Based Tests – is it a big deal?

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Topic:  Personality Assessment
Publication: International Journal of Selection and Assessment (MAR 2010)
Article: The magnitude and extent of cheating and response distortion effects on unproctored internet-based tests of cognitive ability and personality
Authors: W. Arthur, R.M. Glaze, A.J. Villado, and J.E. Taylor
Reviewed By: Benjamin Granger

The future of employment testing is upon us and many organizations have turned to unproctored internet-based testing in lieu of proctored paper-and-pencil testing.

Among its many advantages, internet-based testing is often faster, more efficient, and more convenient than proctored paper-and-pencil methods (e.g., can be scored immediately, distributed to geographically dispersed applicants).  One concern, however, is that unproctored internet-based testing allows for cheating or response distortion (i.e., faking).  But is this a realistic concern?  Is cheating really more prevalent in unproctored internet-based settings?

Arthur, Glaze, Villado, and Taylor (2010) recently explored this question using a speeded cognitive ability test and two different personality tests.  Although the authors note that the speeded nature of the cognitive ability test may have curtailed cheating in and of itself, the pattern of their results was very similar to the pattern observed in proctored, paper-and-pencil contexts.

Ultimately, although cheating/response distortion is well known to occur, Arthur and colleagues did not find that it is necessarily more common in unproctored internet-based testing situations. In concluding this review, it should be noted that the behavior of cheating or response distortion is very difficult to measure.  In fact, as Arthur et al. note, response distortion or cheating was not measured directly in their study.  Nevertheless, the results of this study suggest that response distortion/cheating is not necessarily more common in unproctored internet-based testing situations.

Arthur, W., Glaze, R.M., Villado, A.J., & Taylor, J.E. (2010). The magnitude and extent of cheating and response distortion effects on unproctored internet-based tests of cognitive ability and personality. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 18(1), 1-16.

It’s Easier to Deceive via e-Mail

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Topic: Workplace Deviance, Ethics
Publication: Journal of Applied Psychology (MAR 2010)
Article: The finer points of lying online: E-mail versus pen and paper
Authors: C.E. Naquin, T.R. Kurtzberg, and L.Y. Belkin
Reviewed By: Benjamin Granger

While lying and deception may come easily to some (certain politicians come to mind…), research suggests that generally, people find face-to-face deception to be more difficult than deception through a communication medium (telephone, letter, etc.).

In a recent article on the topic, Naquin, Kurtzberg, and Belkin (2010) hypothesized that deception (lying) may be even more likely via email than pen and paper communication.  In their series of 3 studies, Naquin et al. showed that although deception occurred quite frequently for participants using both (e-mail vs. pen and paper) communication mediums, deception was indeed more common through email and the extent of deception (how big the lie was) tended to be greater via email.

The authors further demonstrated that this was due to people finding it easier to justify deception when communicating via email. Importantly, however, the first two studies utilized an artificial game with no “real” consequences for deception, as would certainly not be the case in a work setting (e.g., IRS audit).  Thus, Naquin and colleagues conducted a third study with full-time managers working on a more realistic (albeit not real) simulation.

In this study, deception was revealed to others, thus, providing real consequences to the deceiver.  Nevertheless, the results were largely the same for all three studies, suggesting that even in the face of consequences; people tend to engage in more deception via email to promote self-interests. 

Unfortunately, Naquin and colleagues’ paper highlights a dark side of human nature and suggests that the media through which employees communicate can impact their propensity to lie and engage in deception.  The authors suggest that their findings may also point to a general tendency for people to more easily justify unethical behavior via online media.  These findings are perhaps even more disturbing when we consider the frequency with which business is conducted online.

Now…what expenses can I think of to write-off this year?

Naquin, C.E., Kurtzberg, T.R., & Belkin, L.Y. (2010). The finer points of lying online: E-mail versus pen and paper. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(2), 387-394.

How Ethical Leadership Drives Performance

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Topic: Ethics, Leadership, Job Performance
Publication: Journal of Organizational Behavior (2010)
Article: The relationship between ethical leadership and core job characteristics
Authors: R.F. Piccolo, R. Greenbaum, D.N., Den Hartog, and R. Folger
Reviewed By: Benjamin Granger

It has long been thought that the characteristics of an employees’ job affects their motivation and ultimately their work performance.  Indeed, job characteristics such as autonomy (degree of discretion employees have over their work) and task significance (degree to which work tasks have a meaningful impact on others) are well known to predict positive workplace outcomes such as employee satisfaction and performance. Importantly, a recent study by Piccolo et al. (2010) suggests that ethical leadership is one factor that contributes to these job characteristics.

So what does ethical leadership entail? Piccolo et al., explain that ethical leaders focus on moral values and fairness in decision making, consider the impact of organizational decisions on the outside world, and clearly communicate to employees how their actions at work contribute to the overall goals of the organization.  Basically, ethical leaders help give meaning to their employees’ work and ensure that organizational decisions are based on sound moral values.

Piccolo and colleagues argue that ethical leadership should influence the actual (or objective) autonomy and task significance of their employees’ jobs, and not just employees’ perceptions of their jobs (although they suggest that this is likely as well).  The authors found that employees who perceive their supervisors to be ethical work in jobs rated higher in job significance and autonomy by their coworkers (which is a more objective measure of job characteristics).  Additionally, employees in jobs rated high in task significance put forth more effort on the job and ultimately engage in better task performance and more organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs).

The bottom line is that leaders who operate ethically lead more productive workforces. They do this, at least partially, by increasing the significance of their employees’ work.  From a slightly different perspective, Piccolo et al.’s findings imply that employees respond quite favorably to ethical leadership and thus want to have a positive impact on the world around them.

Piccolo, R.F., Greenbaum, R., Den Hartog, D.N., & Folger, R. (2010). The relationship between ethical leadership and core job characteristics. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31, 259-278.Pic