Individual, organizational and situational factors cause and/or allow unethical workplace behavior. To the extent leaders and managers understand and can address these causal factors, they can mitigate unethical workplace behavior.
To most effectively and efficiently foster ethical behavior, organizations must be led by authentic leaders backed by an ethical organizational climate/culture. Leaders/supervisors must clearly, consistently and genuinely communicate and demonstrate ethical values/standards and reward/enforce ethical behavior.
They must lead/serve people selflessly to inspire their trust, loyalty and commitment to always do the right things the right way. Finally, given the strong influence of organizational and situational factors on one’s ethical behavior, organizations must seek, identify and address these causal factors to the extent possible.
Following are 7 simple steps that leaders can follow to encourage ethical behaviour at work.
1) Create and sustain ethical climate/culture.
Just as unethical climates/cultures can create unethical behavior, research shows organizations can reduce misconduct and raise job satisfaction by fostering an ethical climate/culture (Andreoli & Lefkowitz, 2009).
2) Ensure authentic leadership/supervisors.
Research shows authentic leadership/supervision is critical to creating/sustaining an ethical work climate/culture. Authentic leadership is “a pattern of leader behavior that draws upon and promotes both positive psychological capacities and a positive ethical climate, to foster greater self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing of information, and relational transparencyon the part of leaders working with followers, fostering positive self-development (Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing & Peterson, 2007).
3) Tap the trenches.
To care for their employees, leaders and supervisors must know their issues. They must get out from behind their desks and walk the line. Such actions can foster greater trust, communications and commitment from employees. In that vein, organizations should also conduct in-depth interviews/surveys with lower-level employees to get their perceptions on organizational climate/culture, leader/supervisor behavior, employee fair treatment and aggressively follow-up on any ethical concerns raised by employees (Jones & Kavanagh, 1996).
4) Reduce the pressures/stress.
As stress can make employees more likely to behave unethically, leaders/supervisors should identify and reduce work stressors (to the extent they can)and improve employee capacity to handle stress. Leaders/supervisors should set realistic goals and provide adequate time/resources to get the job done right.
5) Increase the certainty of unethical workplace behavior being caught.
Deterrence theory posits three factors (certainty of being caught, severity of punishment and swiftness of punishment) deter crime. Research shows certainty of being caught is the most important deterrent factor. As criminals think they will not be caught, severity and swiftness of punishment will not matter as much in their calculus to commit a crime (Lager, 2010).
6) Ensure effective reporting system for unethical behavior (whistle-blowing).
Employees are more apt to report unethical behavior if they are tasked to report it and organizational culture/climate supports such reporting. Researchers shows that the extent unethical behavior threatened the group’s interest (group penalized), group members were more likely to report a peer (Trevino, Weaver & Reynolds, 2006).
7) Identify/mitigate situational factors.
As certain situational factors may lead one to behave unethically, it is important one identify these factors unique to him/her and take actions to mitigate them.
References
Andreoli, N., & Lefkowitz, J. (2009). Individual and organizational antecedents of misconduct in organizations. Journal Of Business Ethics, 85(3), 309--332.
Jones, G., & Kavanagh, M. (1996). An experimental examination of the effects of individual and situational factors on unethical behavioral intentions in the workplace. Journal Of Business Ethics, 15(5), 511-523. doi:10.1007/bf00381927
Trevino, L., Weaver, G., & Reynolds, S. (2006). Behavioral ethics in organizations: A review.Journal Of Management, 32(6), 951--990.
Walumbwa, F., Avolio, B., Gardner, W., Wernsing, T., & Peterson, S. (2007). Authentic Leadership: Development and Validation of a Theory-Based Measure. Journal Of Management, 34(1), 89-126. doi:10.1177/0149206307308913
Andreoli, N., & Lefkowitz, J. (2009). Individual and organizational antecedents of misconduct in organizations. Journal Of Business Ethics, 85(3), 309--332.
Jones, G., & Kavanagh, M. (1996). An experimental examination of the effects of individual and situational factors on unethical behavioral intentions in the workplace. Journal Of Business Ethics, 15(5), 511-523. doi:10.1007/bf00381927
Trevino, L., Weaver, G., & Reynolds, S. (2006). Behavioral ethics in organizations: A review.Journal Of Management, 32(6), 951--990.
Walumbwa, F., Avolio, B., Gardner, W., Wernsing, T., & Peterson, S. (2007). Authentic Leadership: Development and Validation of a Theory-Based Measure. Journal Of Management, 34(1), 89-126. doi:10.1177/0149206307308913
