Moral Psychology at Work: Using Moral Psychology to Understand Organizational Problems

Abstract

In this symposium, we draw from moral psychology to understand problems faced by business organizations and the people working in them. In the past decade, the field of moral psychology has grown exponentially. Moral psychology researchers, who typically conduct their research in a lab with undergraduate samples, investigate how moral biases and other individual differences influence individuals’ moral perceptions, decisions, and behavior. In contrast, organizational researchers investigating organizational problems related to ethics are generally more interested in the organizational environment and other factors that influence individuals’ work-related unethical (or prosocial) behavior. In contrast to the dominant approach in moral psychology research, the papers in this symposium embed moral psychology theories within an organizational context in order to better understand organizational problems. The papers do this primarily through including working adult samples, experiments embedded within an issue relevant for organizations, and/or surveys or archival data from organizations. Collectively, the five presentations in the symposium depart from much of moral psychology that has used lab experiments with undergraduates making hypothetical decisions. Although we believe lab experiments typically generalize to other contexts, we hope our symposium stimulates further research on how moral psychology theory and research can be embedded in the organizational environment. Particularly, we hope that by bringing an organizational lens to moral psychology, we can not only enhance generalizability, but can also identify novel boundary conditions and theoretical mechanisms while addressing important ethical problems in organizations. Does Working For A Socially Responsible Organization Make Employees More Or Less Prosocial? Presenter: Madeline Ong; U. of Michigan Presenter: David Mayer; U. of Michigan Presenter: Leigh Plunkett Tost; U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor Dangerous Expectations: Breaking Rules To Resolve Cognitive Dissonance Presenter: Celia Moore; London Business School Presenter: Wiley Wakeman; London Business School Why Are Do-Gooders Seen As Immoral? Formal Leadership Position And Perceptions Of Moral Rebels Presenter: Ned Wellman; Arizona State U. Presenter: David Mayer; U. of Michigan Presenter: Daniel Scott DeRue; U. of Michigan Presenter: Kathleen Grace; U. of Michigan The Contaminating Effects Of Building Instrumental Ties: How Networking Can Make Us Feel Dirty Presenter: Tiziana Casciaro; U. of Toronto Presenter: Maryam Kouchaki; Harvard U. Presenter: Francesca Gino; Harvard U. Cheating On Expenses: Evidence From The Field Presenter: Francesca Gino; Harvard U. Presenter: Lamar Pierce; Washington U. in St. Louis Presenter: Lisa L Shu; Northwestern Kellogg School of Management