Organizational Climate and Culture Factors Influence the Likelihood of Abuse
Bad Barrels vs. Bad Apples
Organizational factors usually have a stronger effect than personal factors (e.g., personality, ethical beliefs) on abusive or illegal activities
End-accountability
Holding organizational units accountable for ends but not for means encourages and rewards corner-cutting
Collective Corruption
- Rationalization - socially constructed accounts to justify illegal acts Socialization - newcomers are taught to perform or tolerate corrupt acts Institutionalization - acts become routine
- Reversing Normalization of Corrupt Practices
- Very difficult for individuals within the organization to reverse entrenched corruption Usually requires external shock - e.g., media exposure Accountability for means as well as ends is critical
Reversing Normalization of Corrupt Practices
- Very difficult for individuals within the organization to reverse entrenched corruption
- Usually requires external shock - e.g., media exposure
- Accountability for means as well as ends is critical
Research on Dishonesty, Rule-Breaking and Crime in Organizations
- People who knowingly break the rules almost always think they are doing the right thing
- Most instances of corporate corruption involve large numbers of active or passive participants - rarely the result of a few bad apples
- Perceptions of informal norms is a strong determinant of rule-breaking
Leadership issues
- Modeling ethical behaviors is important
- Rewarding, condoning or ignoring illegal acts greatly increases the likelihood that they will occur and become part of the culture of the organization
- Swift and visible leadership action early in the cycle of collective corruption can be effective, but leaders have a difficult time influencing subordinate behavior if abuse becomes institutionalized
- Communication from high-level officers to leaders closer to the action (e.g., lower-level officers, non-commissioned officers) is critical. Shop-floor visibility makes a substantial difference
Training
Abuse does not typically result from lack of knowledge of the rules and procedures
Training should focus on:
- Skills for violating pressure to break the rules
- Ethical awareness
- Respond effectively when abuse is witnessed
Research on Whistle-Blowers
- Whistle blowers are usually shunned and punished by the organization
- Visible support and protection for whistle- blowers from organizations is important
- Establishing reliable and safe methods for people to report violations is important
Date created: 2004