Ch 7. Managing for Ethical Conduct Flashcards
What are the underlying assumptions regarding how managers view ethics? (simple, straightforward answer)
- Managers want to be ethical
- Managers want their subordinates to be ethical
- Based on their experience, managers will have insight into the unique ethical requirements of the job
Explain the concept of Multiple Ethical Selves
Most people behave differently in different contexts. Difficult to manage. The ultimate goal is to bring these multiple ethical selves together- to support the idea that an individual can be consistent (work and home ethical self)
How do managers manage the fact that people behave differently in different situations
Identify what influences them (observation) - rewards, goals and discipline.
Find out what inhibits them from being the best they can be, from doing the right thing.
Develop rewards and disciplinary actions that encourage ethical behaviour and discourage unethical behaviour.
Why is rewarding ethical behaviour more difficult in the short term than the long term? EXAM
long run - it is easier to look at cumulative actions over the course of 6 months(typical performance evaluation) than to look at the actions over the course of a day.
Fair punishment should be administered based on what 5 factors?
- Fits the crime
- Consistent with what others have received
- Employee has input
- Conducted in private
- Explanation that ties punishment to misconduct
What are some of the indirect effects of punishment?
- Adults differentiate between fair and unfair discipline
- Punishment is expected if rules are broken
- Discipline fairly
- Be concerned about observers and implicit messages
Describe deindividualization
Employees tend to take on roles (prisoner/guards unethical experiment example).
- Roles influence behavior
- Analyze roles and role conflicts
- Determine whether jobs need to be altered
What are the two main things that influence behaviour (written on the board)?
group and roles.
Managers hold power as legitimate authority figures. What should this power be used for?
Use this power to set high ethical standards
Describe diffused responsibility
- Workers encouraged to turn over responsibility to those in higher levels.
- phycological distance (de-humanization…see lecture 6, 8 mechanisms)
Describe diffused responsibility in groups
- Bystander research
- Groupthink and “illusion or morality”
- Ensure that alternative views are aired
How should diffused responsibility be managed?
- Make responsibility a relevant issue and reinforce
- Appoint devil’s advocate or multiple advocates in groups
- Spell out accountability associated with specific positions
What are the three parts of the Fraud triangle?
- opportunity
- motive
- attitude / rationalization
Describe each part of the fraud triangle (for accountants?)
Opportunity – exists when a person perceives that she or he has the ability to perpetrate a fraud and get away with it. This is why organizations should have proper controls. No consequences.
Motive- Is the reason to commit fraud,
Incentives are often financial. The term “greed” has been used a great deal to describe perpetrators motives for committing fraud.
Attitude exist within the mind, they can be positive or negative.
Rationalization is something we do when we contemplate or commit an unethical act.
How to “walk the talk”
- Talk about the ethical implications of decisions
- Make it clear you don’t want to be protected from bad news
- Provide guidance on ethical decision making
- Weave ethical goals into performance management
- Reward ethical conduct; discipline unethical conduct
- Demand accountability
- Be aware of the standards I am setting
- How would people describe me?
