1. Understanding individual ethical behaviour
Why we do what we do…
Understanding individual ethical behaviour
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2. Our Journey Framing…The elusive nature of an important behaviour.
Theory of the self
Ethical behaviour as a part of a decision making process
Individual vs. situational variables
Putting it all together
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3. Moral behaviour a mind map Decision making process
Context / situation
Weak vs. Strong
Script
Stanford prison experiments
Perspectives
Business as a jungle
Business as a game
Business as war
Individual variables
Moral identity
Locus of control
Competitiveness
Moral behaviour
Values & beliefs
Decision making process
Awareness / Judgement /Intent / Behaviour
Self-regulatory processes
Emotions
Rationalization
Culture
Nationality
Organisational
Department
Moral reasoning
Duties
Consequences
Justice
Virtue
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4. What influences people’s behaviour?
Personal variables
)Moral) Behaviour
Situational variables
Personal variables such as LOC or competitiveness (option of taking a hand out)
Mischel – strong and weak situations
They effect each other – e.g. personality has stronger effect when situation is weak
Actual behavior vs. intent (moral as being one type of behaviour)
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5. Decision Making process
Recognize moral issue (awareness)
Make moral judgement
Establish moral intent
Engage in moral behaviour
An issue-contingent model of ethical decision making in organizations / Adapted from Jones 1991
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6. Self-regulation and rationalization
(Moral) Behavior
Mood
Positive/Negative
Later behaviour
Bandura’s theory of self-regulation (Gradualism and learning)
Affect = emotion, feeling
Moral justification (It would have hurt her more if I told the truth)
Euphemistic labelling (I am “flexible” with the truth)
Advantageous comparison (This little lie is better than people who steal from their boss)
Displacement of responsibility (He pushed me into a corner – I had to lie)
Diffusion of responsibility (We all decided together that this was the right thing to do)
Disregard or distortion of consequences (A little lie never hurt anybody)
Dehumanization (He’s a ‘worm’ he doesn’t deserve the truth)
Attribution of blame (He left me no choice, I had to lie)
Bandura 1999
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7. Rationalizations (Bandura 1999)
Moral justification (It would have hurt her more if I told the truth)
Euphemistic labelling (I am “flexible” with the truth)
Advantageous comparison (This little lie is better than people who steal from their boss)
Displacement of responsibility (He pushed me into a corner – I had to lie)
Diffusion of responsibility (We all decided together that this was the right thing to do)
Disregard or distortion of consequences (A little lie never hurt anybody)
Dehumanization (He’s a ‘worm’ he doesn’t deserve the truth)
Attribution of blame (He left me no choice, I had to lie)
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8. Putting it all together – an example Support for negative behaviour
Moral Disengagement
Moral Identity
Competitiveness
Affect
Positive/Negative
Moral Behavior
Support for negative behaviour
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9. Lord Moulton 1924 (in Kidder 2003)
Ethics: “It is the domain of obedience to the unenforceable. That obedience is the obedience of a man to that which he cannot be forced to obey. He is the forcer of the law upon himself”
Lord Moulton 1924 (in Kidder 2003)
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10. Questions, anyone?
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