Abstract
This research on the ethics of meaningful work examined how types of job-related harm (physical, economic, emotional, and cognitive) and their magnitude of consequences (MOC, low, high) influenced components of ethical decision-making (moral recognition, moral evaluations, and moral intentions). The research also investigated the moderating effects of individual differences (experience with carpal tunnel syndrome, experience with layoffs, ability to read others’ emotions, and intrinsic motivation orientation [IMO]) on the relation between the MOC and the ethical decision-making elements for each type of harm. Using a sample of 185 Chinese professionals, a between-subjects, fully crossed experimental scenario design revealed that physical and economic job-related harm were recognized as moral issues to a greater extent than cognitive or emotional harm. Second, physical job-related harm stimulated a higher level of moral evaluations than economic and cognitive harm. Third, individuals intended to act ethically when MOC was high versus low. Finally, experience with layoffs and IMO helped explain the relations between MOC and moral evaluations for economic and cognitive job-related harm, respectively. Implications for research and management are discussed.
Abbreviations
- CTD:
-
Cumulative trauma disorder
- MOC:
-
Magnitude of consequences
- CTS:
-
Carpal tunnel syndrome
- AROE:
-
Ability to read others’ emotions
- IMO:
-
Intrinsic motivation orientation
References
Amabile, T. M., Hill, K. G., Hennessey, B. A., & Tighe, E. M. (1994). The work preference inventory: Assessing intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 950–967.
Ardichvili, A., Jondle, D., Kowske, B., Cornachione, E., Li, J., & Thaikadappuram, T. (2012). Ethical cultures in large business organizations in Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Journal of Business Ethics, 105, 415–428.
Associated Press (2012, January 12). Chinese Xbox factory layoffs prompt mass suicide threat. CTV News. Article accessed on-line 29 May 2012.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.
Bennett, N., Martin, C. L., Bies, R. J., & Brockner, J. (1995). Coping with a layoff: A longitudinal study of victims. Journal of Management, 21, 1025–1041.
Berg, J. M., Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2010). Perceiving and responding to challenges in job crafting at different ranks: When proactivity requires adaptivity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31, 158–186.
Bowie, N. E. (1998). A Kantian theory of meaningful work. Journal of Business Ethics, 17, 1083–1092.
Brockner, J., Spreitzer, G., Mishra, A., Hockwarter, W., Pepper, L., & Weinberg, J. (2004). Perceived control as an antidote for the negative effects of layoffs on survivors’ organizational commitment and job performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 49, 76–100.
Brotheridge, C. M., & Grandy, A. A. (2002). Emotional labor and burnout: Comparing two perspectives of “People Work”. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 60, 17–39.
Butterfield, K. D., Trevino, L. K., & Weaver, G. R. (2000). Moral awareness in business organizations: Influences of issue-related and social context factors. Human Relations, 53, 981–1018.
Cheung, F. Y. L., & Tang, C. S. K. (2007). The influence of emotional dissonance and resources at work on job burnout among Chinese human service employees. International Journal of Stress Management, 14, 72–87.
Chia, A., & Mee, L. S. (2000). The effects of issue characteristics on the recognition of moral issues. Journal of Business Ethics, 27, 255–269.
Collins, D. (1989). Organizational harm, legal condemnation, and stakeholder retaliation: A typology, research agenda and application. Journal of Business Ethics, 8, 1–13.
Comer, D. R., & Vega, G. (2011). Moral courage in organizations: Doing the right thing at work. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
Connelly, S., Helton-Fauth, W., & Mumford, M. D. (2004). A managerial in-basket study of the impact of trait emotions on ethical choice. Journal of Business Ethics, 51, 245–267.
Davis, M. A., Johnson, N. B., & Ohmer, D. G. (1998). Issue-contingent effect on ethical decision-making: A cross-cultural comparison. Journal of Business Ethics, 17, 373–389.
De George, R. T. (1999). Business ethics (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Duhigg, C., & Barboza, D. (2012, January 25). In China, human costs are built into an iPad. New York Times. Article accessed on-line 28 May 2012.
Dukerich, J. M., Waller, M. J., George, E., & Huber, G. P. (2000). Moral intensity and managerial problem solving. Journal of Business Ethics, 24, 29–38.
Eby, L. T., & Buch, K. (1998). The impact of adopting an ethical approach to employee dismissal during corporate restructuring. Journal of Business Ethics, 17, 1253–1264.
Fair Labor Association (2012). Foxconn investigation report. Retrieved May 29, 2012, from http://www.fairlabor.org/report/foxconn-investigation-report.
Ferrell, O. C., Gresham, L. G., & Fraedrich, J. (1989). A synthesis of ethical decision models for marketing. Journal of Macromarketing, 9, 55–64.
Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (1984). Social cognition. New York: Random House.
Flannery, B. L., & May, D. R. (2000). Environmental ethical decision making in the U.S. metal-finishing industry. Academy of Management Journal, 43, 642–662.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226.
Frey, B. F. (2000). The impact of moral intensity on decision-making in a business context. Journal of Business Ethics, 26, 181–195.
Fusilier, M. R., Aby, C. D., Worley, J. K., & Elliott, S. (1996). Perceived seriousness of business ethics issues. Business and Professional Ethics Journal, 15, 67–78.
Galinsky, A. D., Magee, J. D., Inesi, M. E., & Gruenfeld, D. H. (2006). Power and perspectives not taken. Psychological Science, 17, 1068–1074.
Gandz, J., & Bird, F. G. (1996). The ethics of empowerment. Journal of Business Ethics, 15, 383–482.
Gaudine, A., & Thorne, L. (2001). Emotion and ethical decision-making in organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 31, 175–187.
Grant, A. M. (2008). Designing jobs to do good: Dimensions and psychological consequences of prosocial job characteristics. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3, 19–39.
Grant, A. M., Fried, Y., Parker, S. K., & Frese, M. (2010). Putting job design in context: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31, 145–157.
Guvenli, T., & Sanyal, R. (2002). Ethical concerns in international business: Are some issues more important than others? Business and Society Review, 107(2), 195–206.
Handelsman, M. M., Knapp, S., & Gottlieb, M. S. (2002). Positive ethics. In C. R. Synder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 731–744). Oxford: Oxford Press.
Hannah, S. T., Avolio, B. J., & May, D. R. (2011). Moral maturation and moral conation: A capacity approach to explaining moral thought and action. Academy of Management Review, 36(4), 663–685.
Hansen, R. S. (1992). A multidimensional scale for measuring business ethics: A purification and refinement. Journal of Business Ethics, 11, 523–534.
Harrington, S. J. (1997). A test of a person-issue contingent model of ethical decision-making in organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 16, 363–375.
Hochschild, A. (1983). The managed heart. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Hunt, S., & Vitell, S. (1986). A general theory of marketing ethics. Journal of Macromarketing, 6, 5–16.
Jackson, S. E., Schwab, R. L., & Schuler, R. S. (1986). Toward an understanding of the burnout phenomenon. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 630–640.
Jalajas, D. S. (1993). Ethical decision making in college students: A test of Jones’ moral intensity concept. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Academy of Management, Providence, Rhode Island.
Jones, T. M. (1991). Ethical decision making by individuals in organizations: An issue contingent model. Academy of Management Review, 16, 366–395.
Jordan, P. J., Ashkanasy, N. M., Hartel, C. E. J., & Hooper, G. S. (2002). Workgroup emotional intelligence: Scale development and relationship to team process effectiveness and goal focus. Human Resource Management Review, 12, 195–214.
Kelley, P. C., & Elm, D. R. (2003). The effect of context on moral intensity of ethical issues: Revising Jones’ issue-contingent model. Journal of Business Ethics, 48(2), 139–152.
Keyes, C., & Haidt, J. (2003). Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived. Washington, DC: APA.
Kini, R. B., Ramakrishna, H. V., & Vijayaraman, B. S. (2004). Shaping of moral intensity regarding software piracy: A comparison between Thailand and U.S. students. Journal of Business Ethics, 49, 91–104.
Kohlberg, L. (1984). Philosophy of moral development. New York: Harper and Row.
Leung, B. (1996). Perspectives on Hong Kong Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Loe, T. W., Ferrell, L., & Mansfield, P. (2000). A review of empirical studies assessing ethical decision making in business. Journal of Business Ethics, 25, 185–204.
Lu, L., Cooper, C., Kao, S. F., & Zhou, Y. (2003). Work stress, control beliefs and well-being in Greater China: An exploration of sub-cultural differences between the PRC and Taiwan. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18(6), 479–510.
Lui, T. (1992). Work and work values. Indicators of Social Development: Hong Kong, 1990, 105–128.
Luo, L. (1999). Work motivation, job stress and employees’ well-being. Journal of Applied Management Studies, 8, 61–72.
Ma, Z. (2010). The SINS in business negotiations: Explore the cross-cultural differences in business ethics between Canada and China. Journal of Business Ethics, 91, 123–135.
Manning, S., Massini, S., & Lewin, A. Y. (2008). A dynamic perspective on next-generation offshoring: The global sourcing of science and engineering talent. Academy of Management Perspectives, 22(3), 35–54.
May, D. R. (2004). The flourishing of the human spirit at work: Toward an understanding of the determinants and outcomes of experienced meaningfulness at work. Paper Presented at the 2004 2nd European Conference on Positive Psychology, Verbania Pallanza, Italy.
May, D. R., & Pauli, K. P. (2002). The role of moral intensity in ethical decision-making: A review and investigation of moral recognition, evaluation, and intention. Business and Society, 41, 85–118.
May, D. R., Gilson, R. L., & Harter, L. (2004). The psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety, and availability and the engagement of the human spirit at work. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77, 11–37.
May, D. R., & Schwoerer, C. E. (1994). Employee health by design: Using employee involvement teams in ergonomic job redesign. Personnel Psychology, 47, 861–876.
McCoy, J. M. (2002). Work environments. In R. B. Bechtel & A. Churchman (Eds.), Handbook of environmental psychology (pp. 443–460). New York: Wiley.
Mencl, J., & May, D. R. (2009). The effects of proximity and empathy on ethical decision-making: An exploratory investigation. Journal of Business Ethics, 85, 201–226.
Morris, J. A., & Feldman, D. C. (1996). The dimensions, antecedents, and consequences of emotional labor. Academy of Management Review, 21, 986–1010.
Morris, S. A., & McDonald, R. A. (1995). The role of moral intensity in moral judgments: An empirical investigation. Journal of Business Ethics, 14, 715–726.
O’Fallon, M. J., & Butterfield, K. D. (2005). A review of the empirical ethical decision-making literature: 1996–2003. Journal of Business Ethics, 59(4), 375–413.
Oldham, G. R., & Hackman, J. R. (2010). Not what it was and not what it will be: The future of job design research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31, 463–479.
Paulhus, D. L. (1989). Measurement and control of response bias. In J. P. Robinson, P. R. Shaver, & L. Wrightsman (Eds.), Measures of social–psychological attitudes (pp. 17–59). New York: Academic Press.
Pauli, K. P. and May, D. R. (2002). Ethics and the digital dragnet: Magnitude of consequences, accountability, and the ethical decision making of information systems professionals. Best Paper Electronic Proceedings of the Academy of Management, Denver, CO.
Pratt, M. G., & Ashforth, B. (2003). Fostering meaningfulness in working and at work. In K. S. Cameron, J. E. Dutton, & R. E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive organizational scholarship: Foundations of a new discipline (pp. 309–327). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Rafaeli, A., & Sutton, R. I. (1987). Expression of emotion as part of the work role. Academy of Management Review, 12, 23–37.
Randall, D. M., & Gibson, A. M. (1990). Methodology in business ethics research: A review and critical assessment. Journal of Business Ethics, 9, 457–471.
Rawwas, M. Y. A., Al-Khatib, J. A., & Vitell, S. J. (2004). Academic dishonesty: A cross-cultural comparison of U.S. and Chinese marketing students. Journal of Marketing Education, 26(1), 89–100.
Rest, J. R. (1986). Moral development: Advances in research and theory. New York: Praeger.
Rich, B. L., Lepine, J. A., & Crawford, E. R. (2010). Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 53, 617–635.
Sekaran, U. (1983). Methodological and theoretical issues and advancements in cross-cultural research. Journal of International Business Studies, 14(2), 61–73.
Sekerka, L. E., Bagozzi, R. P., & Charnigo, R. (2009). Conceptualizing and measuring professional moral courage. Journal of Business Ethics, 89, 565–579.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Simmons, J. P., Nelson, L. D., & Simonsohn, U. (2011). False-positive psychology: Undisclosed flexibility in data collection and analysis allows presenting anything as significant. Psychological Science, 22, 1359–1366.
Singer, M. S., & Singer, A. E. (1994). Observer judgments about moral agents’ ethical decisions: The role of scope of justice and moral intensity. Journal of Business Ethics, 14, 473–483.
Singh, J. J., Vitell, S. J., Al-Khatib, J., & Clark, I., I. I. I. (2007). The role of moral intensity and personal moral philosophies in the ethical decision making of marketers: A cross-cultural comparison of China and the United States. Journal of International Marketing, 15, 86–112.
Singhapakdi, A., Vitell, S. J., & Kraft, K. L. (1996). Moral intensity and ethical decision-making of marketing professionals. Journal of Business Research, 36, 245–255.
Siu, O. (2002). Occupational stressors and well-being among Chinese employees: The role of organisational commitment. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 51, 527–544.
Tenbrunsel, A. E., & Smith-Crowe, K. (2008). Ethical decision making: Where we’ve been and where we’re going. The Academy of Management Annals, 2, 545–607.
Thomas, K. W., & Velthouse, B. A. (1990). Cognitive elements of empowerment: An “interpretive” model of intrinsic task motivation. Academy of Management Review, 15, 666–681.
Treviño, L. K. (1986). Ethical decision-making in organizations: A person–situation interactionist model. Academy of Management Review, 11, 601–617.
Treviño, L. K., Weaver, G. R., & Reynolds, S. J. (2006). Behavioral ethics in organizations: A review. Journal of Management, 32, 951–990.
Trompenaars, F., & Hampden-Turner, C. (1998). Riding the waves of culture: Understanding cultural diversity in global business (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Victor, B., & Cullen, J. B. (1988). The organizational bases of ethical work climates. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33, 101–125.
Vitell, S. J., & Hunt, S. D. (1990). The general theory of marketing ethics: A partial test of the model. In J. N. Sheth (Ed.), Research in marketing (Vol. 10, pp. 237–265). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Vitell, S. J., & Patwardhan, A. (2008). The role of moral intensity and moral philosophy in ethical decision making: A cross cultural comparison of China and the European Union. Business Ethics: A European Review, 17(2), 196–209.
Watley, L. D., & May, D. R. (2004). Enhancing moral intensity: Personal and consequential information in ethical decision-making. Journal of Business Ethics, 50, 105–126.
Weber, J. (1992). Scenarios in business ethics research: Review, critical assessment, and recommendations. Business Ethics Quarterly, 2, 138–159.
Weber, J. (1996). Influences upon managerial moral decision making: Nature of the harm and magnitude of consequences. Human Relations, 49, 1–22.
Weber, J., & Gillespie, J. (1998). Differences in ethical beliefs, intentions, and behaviors: The role of beliefs and intentions in ethics research revisited. Business and Society, 37, 447–467.
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2005). Developing management skills (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Yang, H. L., & Wu, W. P. (2009). The effect of moral intensity on ethical decision making in accounting. Journal of Moral Education, 38, 335–351.
Acknowledgments
An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the Social Issues in Management Division of the Academy of Management Meeting in Atlanta, GA. The authors wish to thank the participants of the study and Jeremy Wortman for his help in pilot testing the experimental scenarios.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix
Appendix
Experimental Scenarios for Types of Job-Related Harm
Physical Harm
Pat Hanson is the department manager in an organization very similar to yours. Last Monday morning, Pat overheard an employee in the department, talking about “tingling and numbness in her fingers” and how her hand felt weak when she tried to open a jar over the weekend.
Pat knows that this condition can be caused either by the near-constant typing that dominates the employee’s time at work or by the gardening and weeding she’s been doing at home. Without attention (Low Consequence: Pat knows that this problem sometimes decreases in magnitude and surgery is not required; High Consequence: Pat knows that this problem could escalate to the point where surgery would be required. An incision would be made on the inside of the wrist to allow for more space for the swollen nerves. Recovery from surgery is moderately painful and would include physical therapy and restricted work duty for several months. Some patients never completely recover).
After thinking about it, Pat insists that the employee make an appointment to see the company doctor this week.
Economic Harm
Pat Hanson is the department manager in an organization very similar to yours. Last Monday morning, Pat found out that, due to budgetary constraints, Pat may have to layoff an employee in the department.
Pat knows that the employee in the department does not have any savings for such “rainy days.” Pat recognizes that there (Low Consequence: “is an abundance of jobs available in the marketplace demanding the employee’s skills, thus the layoff would have little impact on the employee’s finances;” High Consequence: “are few jobs available in the marketplace and that this layoff will seriously affect the livelihood of this individual. The employee would be forced to file bankruptcy, thus permanently affecting his/her credit).”
After thinking about it, Pat decides to tell the employee about the potential downsizing.
Emotional Harm
Pat Hanson is the department manager in an organization very similar to yours. Last Monday morning, Pat overheard an employee in the department, interacting with a difficult customer.
Pat knows that the employee has trouble dealing with belligerent customers. The employee often gets very angry in such situations and stays that way for an extended period of time. In this particular situation (Low Consequence: “the customer was tactfully questioning the company’s return policy and attempting to convince the employee to allow the return;” High Consequence: “The customer was yelling at the employee about the company’s return policy and was blowing the issue completely out of proportion. This intense face-to-face customer interaction caused the employee to become extremely upset, unable to concentrate for the rest of the day, and feeling totally drained”).
After thinking about it, Pat decides to step in and assist the employee in resolving the issue.
Cognitive Harm Scenario
Pat Hanson is the department manager in an organization very similar to yours. Last Monday morning, Pat overheard an employee in the department talking about whether or not his/her job allows the employee to fully develop his/her potential.
Pat knows that the employee has more talents and abilities than are needed by his/her current position. (Low Consequence: “The employee tells his/her co-worker that the job involves opportunities for challenging work;” High Consequence: “The employee tells his/her co-worker that the job is intolerable and only involves mind-numbingly simple work.”)
After thinking about it, Pat decides to have a career development planning session with the employee.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
May, D.R., Li, C., Mencl, J. et al. The Ethics of Meaningful Work: Types and Magnitude of Job-Related Harm and the Ethical Decision-Making Process. J Bus Ethics 121, 651–669 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1736-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1736-9