LECTURE 12: Unethical & Organizational Misbehaviour Flashcards
What is organizational misbehaviour?
Any behavior that brings harm, or is intended to bring harm to an organization, its members, or its stakeholders
- Violates organizational and/or social norms
- Voluntary: chose to do it or not
- Varies in severity from minor (littering,
inappropriate internet use) to severe
(e.g., sabotage, violence)
Name 6 forms of misbehaviour
(I P P P O S)
- Interpersonal Deviance: harmful actions to others (e.g., bullying, gossip, etc.)
- Personal Aggression: harmful actions to others (e.g., violence)
- Organizational Deviance: harms the org (e.g., theft, fraud)
- Production Deviance: reducing work output (e.g., withholding effort, absenteeism
- Political deviance: manipulating org politics (e.g., sabotage, cheating)
- Substance abuse: drug/alcohol use during work hours
What is the difference between misbehaviour & unethical behaviour? Why does it matter?
Many forms of misbehaviour are unethical (e.g., violate ethical & moral principles, values) in the workplace
others are not
Importance: frequency & cost
Describe the frequency of Org Misbehaviour
75% steal from work at least once
20% are aware of fraud cases
15% let someone else take the blame
31% verbally abused by supervisor
14% dishonesty in email; 27% dishonesty face-to-face
98% targeted of incivility
What is the consequence of misbehaviour for an Org?
- Huge $
- Reduced employee morale
- High absenteeism
- High turnover
- lower productivity
What are the individual difference predictors of engaging in org misbehaviour?
Personality:
- higher delinquent personality: impulsive, hostile
- lower honesty-humility
-lower consciousness
- greater negative affect
- greater trait anger
Job Attitudes:
- lower job satisfaction
- Greater perceived injustice
- lower felt autonomy
What are group-level predictors of engaging in org misbehaviour?
- more anti-social behaviour in the group
- greater relationship conflict
- greater micro-managing
What are organizational level predictors of engaging in org misbehaviour?
- heavier workload
- stronger competition over resources
- less ethical climate
- lower risk of detection
- weaker punishment/sanction
What is the theory of planned behaviour (reasoned action)?
assumes that individuals act rationally, according to their attitudes, subjective norms, & perceived behavioural control
attitude, subjective norm, percieved behavioural control > intention > behaviour
T/F: not all behaviour is planned
TRUE
Affect component acts as an immediate precursor to misbehaviour (e.g., frustration, stress, anger)
Unreasoned Path:
individual, group-level, org-level factors > negative affect > org misbehaviour
Give 2 real-world examples of unethical decision making in organizations.
Uber - covered data breach, illegal operations, sexual harassment
Police - brutality, George Floyd
What are the categories of unethical decision-makers?
Bad apples - individual
Bad batch - social influence/roles
Bad Barrel - organization
Bad Orchard - economic & political systems
Name individual level predictors of unethical decision making.
- Machiavellianism - interpersonal manuipulation, indifference to morality, self-focus, lack of empathy
- SDO (social dominance orientation) - support for hierarchy and desire to be superior
- Moral development
- job satisfaction
Name group level predictors of unethical decision making.
social influence - peer consensus that action is wrong
- people may behave unethically because of a powerful leader
- follower behaviour depends on the intentions, desires of the leader
- particularly if follower is high in right-wing authoritarianism
Name Org level predictors of unethical decision making.
ethical climate
having a code of conduct does NOT predict
enforcing a code of conduct
