Thick as Thieves: The Effects of Ethical Orientation and Psychological Safety on Unethical Team Behavior

Journal of Applied Psychology

Volumn 96, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 401-411

  Pearsall, Matthew J ^a   Ellis, Aleksander P J ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA   (United States)

Author keywords

Decision making; Psychological safety; Teams; Unethical behavior

Indexed keywords

ADULT; ARTICLE; COOPERATION; DECISION MAKING; ETHICAL THEORY; ETHICS; FEMALE; GROUP PROCESS; HUMAN; MALE; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; STUDENT; THEFT;

ADULT; COOPERATIVE BEHAVIOR; DECISION MAKING; ETHICAL THEORY; FEMALE; GROUP PROCESSES; HUMANS; MALE; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; STUDENTS; THEFT; YOUNG ADULT;

EID: 79953073624     PISSN: 00219010     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1037/a0021503     Document Type: Article

References (75)

1. Abdolmohammadi M.J., Reeves M.F. Does group reasoning improve ethical reasoning?. Business and Society Review 2003, 108:127-137. doi: 10.1111/1467-8594.00001.
2. Baer M., Frese M. Innovation is not enough: Climates for initiative and psychological safety, process innovations, and firm performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior 2003, 24:45-68. doi: 10.1002/job.179.
3. Baker T.L., Hunt T.G. An exploratory investigation into the effects of team composition on moral orientation. Journal of Managerial Issues 2003, 15:106-119.
4. Barrick M.R., Stewart G.L., Neubert M.J., Mount M.K. Relating member ability and personality to work-team processes and team effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology 1998, 83:377-391. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.83.3.377.
5. Beams J., Brown R., Killough L. An experiment testing the determinants of non-compliance with insider trading laws. Journal of Business Ethics 2003, 45:309-323. doi: 10.1023/A:1024159730463.
6. Beauchamp T., Bowie N.E. Ethical theory and business 2004, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 7th ed.
7. Bell S.T. Deep-level composition variables as predictors of team performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology 2007, 92:595-615. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.595.
8. Bernardi R.A., Metzger R.L., Bruno R.G.S., Hoogkamp M.W., Reyes L.E., Barnaby G.H. Examining the decision process of students' cheating behavior: An empirical study. Journal of Business Ethics 2004, 50:397-414. doi: 10.1023/B:BUSI.0000025039.47788.c2.
9. Bliese P.D. Within-group agreement, non-independence, and reliability: Implications for data aggregation and analyses. Multilevel theory, research, and methods in organizations: Foundations, extensions, and new directions 2000, 349-381. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. K.J. Klein, S.W.J. Kozlowski (Eds.).
10. Brady F.N. A Janus-headed model of ethical theory: Looking two ways at business/society issues. Academy of Management Journal 1985, 10:568-576. doi: 10.2307/258137.
11. Brady F.N., Wheeler G.E. An empirical study of ethical predispositions. Journal of Business Ethics 1996, 15:927-940. doi: 10.1007/BF00705573.
12. Brass D. Men's and women's networks: A study of interaction patterns and influence in an organization. Academy of Management Journal 1985, 28:327-343. doi: 10.2307/256204.
13. Burke C.S., Stagl K., Salas E., Pierce L., Kendall D. Understanding team adaptation: A conceptual analysis and model. Journal of Applied Psychology 2006, 91:1189-1207. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.91.6.1189.
14. Chan D. Functional relations among constructs in the same content domain at different levels of analysis: A typology of composition models. Journal of Applied Psychology 1998, 83:234-246. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.83.2.234.
15. Cullen J.B., Victor B., Bronson J.W. The ethical climate questionnaire: An assessment of its development and validity. Psychological Reports 1993, 73:667-674.
16. De George R.T. Business ethics 1982, Macmillan, New York, NY.
17. DeRue D.S., Hollenbeck J.R., Ilgen D.R., Johnson M.D., Jundt D. How different team downsizing approaches influence team-level adaptation and performance. Academy of Management Journal 2008, 51:182-196.
18. Detert J.R., Treviño L.K., Schweitzer V.L. Moral disengagement in ethical decision making: A study of antecedents and outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology 2008, 93:374-391. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.93.2.374.
19. Edmondson A. Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly 1999, 44:350-383. doi: 10.2307/2666999.
20. Edmondson A., Bohmer R., Pisano G.P. Disrupted routines: Team learning and new technology adaptation. Administrative Science Quarterly 2001, 46:685-716. doi: 10.2307/3094828.
21. Emery C.R., Summers T.P., Surak J.G. The role of organizational climate in the implementation of total quality management. Journal of Managerial Issues 1996, 8:484-496.
22. Faraj S., Yan A. Boundary work in knowledge groups. Journal of Applied Psychology 2009, 94:604-617. doi: 10.1037/a0014367.
23. Fusaro P.C., Miller R.M. What went wrong at Enron: Everyone's guide to the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history 2002, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.
24. Gibson C.B., Gibbs J. Unpacking the concept of virtuality: The effects of geographic dispersion, electronic dependence, dynamic structure and national diversity on team innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly 2006, 51:451-495.
25. Granitz N., Loewy D. Applying ethical theories: Interpreting and responding to student plagiarism. Journal of Business Ethics 2007, 72:293-306. doi: 10.1007/s10551-006-9171-9.
26. Green S.A., Weber J.A. Influencing ethical development: Exposing students to the AICPA Code of Conduct. Journal of Business Ethics 1997, 16:777-790. doi: 10.1023/A:1017987609769.
27. Greenberg J. Who stole the money and when? Individual and situational determinants of employee theft. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 2002, 89:985-1003. doi: 10.1016/S0749-5978(02)00039-0.
28. Hair J.E., Anderson R.E., Tatham R.L., Black W.C. Multivariate data analysis 1998, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 5th ed.
29. Hambrick D.C., Mason P.A. Upper echelon: The organization as a reflection of its top managers. Academy of Management Review 1984, 9:193-206. doi: 10.2307/258434.
30. Hülsheger U.R., Anderson N., Salgado J.F. Team-level predictors of innovation at work: A comprehensive meta-analysis spanning three decades of research. Journal of Applied Psychology 2009, 94:1128-1145. doi: 10.1037/a0015978.
31. Humphrey S.E., Morgeson F.P., Mannor M.J. Developing a theory of the strategic core of teams: A role composition model of team performance. Journal of Applied Psychology 2009, 94:48-61. doi: 10.1037/a0012997.
32. Ilgen D.R., Hollenbeck J.R., Johnson M., Jundt D. Teams in organizations: From I-P-O models to IMOI models. Annual Review of Psychology 2005, 56:517-543. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070250.
33. Izraeli D. Ethical beliefs and behavior among managers: A cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Business Ethics 1988, 7:263-271. doi: 10.1007/BF00381831.
34. Jones G.E., Kavanagh M.J. An experimental examination of the effects of individual and situational factors on unethical behavioral intentions in the workplace. Journal of Business Ethics 1996, 15:511-523. doi: 10.1007/BF00381927.
35. Jones T.M. Ethical decision making by individuals in organizations: An issue-contingent model. Academy of Management Review 1991, 16:366-395. doi: 10.2307/258867.
36. Kant I. Fundamental principles of the metaphysic of morals 1959, Bobbs-Merrill, New York, NY, (Original work published 1785).
37. Kark R., Carmeli A. Alive and creating: The mediating role of vitality and aliveness in the relationship between psychological safety and creative work involvement. Journal of Organizational Behavior 2009, 30:785-804. doi: 10.1002/job.571.
38. Klein K.J., Bliese P.D., Kozlowski S.W.J., Dansereau F., Gavin M.B., Griffin M.A., Bligh M.C. Multi-level analytical techniques: Commonalities, differences, and continuing questions. Multilevel theory, research, and methods in organizations: Foundations, extensions, and new directions 2000, 512-553. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. K.J. Klein, S.W.J. Kozlowski (Eds.).
39. Kohlberg L. Stage and sequence. The cognitive developmental approach to socialization. Handbook of socialization theory 1969, 347-480. Rand McNally, Chicago, IL. D.A. Goslin (Ed.).
40. Kohlberg L. The psychology of moral development: The nature and validity of moral stages 1984, Harper & Row, New York, NY.
41. Kozlowski S.W.J., Bell B.S. Work groups and teams in organizations. Handbook of psychology: Industrial and organizational psychology 2003, 12:333-375. Wiley, New York, NY. W.C. Borman, D.R. Ilgen, R. Klimoski (Eds.).
42. Kozlowski S.W.J., Ilgen D.R. Enhancing the effectiveness of work groups and teams. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 2006, 7:77-124.
43. Kulik B.W., O'Fallon M.J., Salimath M.S. Do competitive environments lead to the rise and spread of unethical behavior? Parallels from Enron. Journal of Business Ethics 2008, 83:703-723. doi: 10.1007/s10551-007-9659-y.
44. LePine J.A. Adaptation of teams in response to unforeseen change: Effects of goal difficulty and team composition in terms of cognitive ability and goal orientation. Journal of Applied Psychology 2005, 90:1153-1167. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.90.6.1153.
45. Marks M.A., Mathieu J.E., Zaccaro S.J. A temporally based framework and taxonomy of team processes. Academy of Management Review 2001, 26:356-376. doi: 10.2307/259182.
46. McCabe D., Treviño L.K. Academic dishonesty: Honor codes and other contextual influences. Journal of Higher Education 1993, 64:522-538. doi: 10.2307/2959991.
47. McCabe D.L., Treviño L.K., Butterfield K. The influence of collegiate and corporate codes of conduct on ethics-related behavior in the workplace. Journal of Higher Education 1996, 2:211-234.
48. Mill J.S. Utilitarianism 1863, Parker, Son, and Bourn, London, England.
49. Moynihan L.M., Peterson R.S. A contingent configuration approach to understanding the role of personality in organizational groups. Research in Organizational Behavior 2001, 23:327-378. doi: 10.1016/S0191-3085(01)23008-1.
50. Nichols M.L., Day V.E. A comparison of moral reasoning of groups and individuals on the Defining Issues Test. Academy of Management Journal 1982, 25:201-208. doi: 10.2307/256035.
51. O'Fallon M.J., Butterfield K.D. A review of the empirical ethical decision-making literature: 1996-2003. Journal of Business Ethics 2005, 59:375-413. doi: 10.1007/s10551-005-2929-7.
52. O'Leary C., Pangemanan G.V. The effect of groupwork on ethical decision-making of accountancy students. Journal of Business Ethics 2007, 75:215-228. doi: 10.1007/s10551-006-9248-5.
53. Pastin M. The hard problems of management: Gaining the ethics edge 1986, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA.
54. Rest J.R. Moral development: Advances in research and theory 1986, Praeger, New York, NY.
55. Rest J., Narvaez D., Bebeau M.J., Thoma S.J. Postconventional moral thinking: A neo-Kohlbergian approach 1999, Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ.
56. Reynolds S.J. Moral awareness and ethical predispositions: Investigating the role of individual differences in the recognition of moral issues. Journal of Applied Psychology 2006, 91:233-243. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.91.1.233.
57. Reynolds S.J. Moral attentiveness: Who pays attention to the moral aspects of life?. Journal of Applied Psychology 2008, 93:1027-1041. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.93.5.1027.
58. Reynolds S.J., Ceranic T. The effects of moral judgment and moral identity on moral behavior: An empirical examination of the moral individual. Journal of Applied Psychology 2007, 92:1610-1624. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.92.6.1610.
59. Robinson S., O'Leary-Kelly A. Monkey see, monkey do: The influence of work groups on antisocial behavior of employees. Academy of Management Journal 1998, 41:658-672. doi: 10.2307/256963.
60. Scharff M.M. Understanding WorldCom's accounting fraud: Did groupthink play a role?. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies 2005, 11:109-118. doi: 10.1177/107179190501100309.
61. Schminke M., Ambrose M.L., Neubaum D.O. The effect of leader moral development on ethical climate and employee attitudes. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 2005, 97:135-151. doi: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.03.006.
62. Schminke M., Ambrose M.L., Noel T. The effects of ethical frameworks on perceptions of organizational justice. Academy of Management Journal 1997, 40:1190-1207. doi: 10.2307/256932.
63. Schminke M., Wells D., Peyrefitte J., Sebora T.C. Leadership and ethics in work groups: A longitudinal assessment. Group & Organization Management 2002, 27:272-293. doi: 10.1177/10501102027002006.
64. Schweitzer M., Ordóñez L.D., Douma B. The dark side of goal setting: The role of goals in motivating unethical behavior. Academy of Management Journal 2004, 47:422-432. doi: 10.2307/20159591.
65. Sharp D.J. Cases in business ethics 2006, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
66. Simsek Z., Veiga J.F., Lubatkin M.H., Dino R.N. Modeling the multilevel determinants of top management team behavioral integration. Academy of Management Journal 2005, 48:69-84.
67. Steiner I.D. Group processes and productivity 1972, Academic Press, New York, NY.
68. Treviño L.K., Victor B. Peer reporting of unethical behavior: A social context perspective. Academy of Management Journal 1992, 35:38-64. doi: 10.2307/256472.
69. Treviño L.K., Weaver G.R. Managing ethics in business organizations 2003, Stanford Business Books, Stanford, CA.
70. Treviño L.K., Weaver G.R., Reynolds S. Behavioral ethics in organizations: A review. Journal of Management 2006, 32:951-990. doi: 10.1177/0149206306294258.
71. Walumbwa F.O., Schaubroeck J. Leader personality traits and employee voice behavior: Mediating roles of ethical leadership and workgroup psychological safety. Journal of Applied Psychology 2009, 94:1275-1286. doi: 10.1037/a0015848.
72. Weber J. Managers' moral reasoning: Assessing their responses to three moral dilemmas. Human Relations 1990, 43:687-702. doi: 10.1177/001872679004300705.
73. Weber J. Scenarios in business ethics research: Review, critical assessment, and recommendations. Business Ethics Quarterly 1992, 2:137-160. doi: 10.2307/3857568.
74. Weber J. Influences upon organizational ethical subclimates: A multi-departmental analysis of a single firm. Organization Science 1995, 6:509-523. doi: 10.1287/orsc.6.5.509.
75. Zey-Ferrell M., Weaver K.M., Ferrell O.C. Predicting unethical behavior among marketing practitioners. Human Relations 1979, 32:557-569. doi: 10.1177/001872677903200702.