Abstract
This paper reports the results of a survey completed by 565 human resource professionals in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The major result suggests that individuals who are more dependent on their employing organizations are more likely to comply with organizational pressures to behave unethically. Factor analysis of our dependent measure of ethical organizational behavior suggested that two distinct constructs were being tapped; furthermore, different variables were found to predict each. The potential for conceptualizing unethical organizational behavior as multidimensional is discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akaah, I. P.: 1989, ‘The Influence of Non-Anonymity Deriving from Feedback of Research Results on Marketing Professionals' Research Ethics Judgements’,Journal of Business Ethics 9, pp. 949–959.
Baba, V. V. and R. Knoop: 1987, ‘Organizational Commitment and Independence Among Canadian Managers’,Relations Industrielles 42, pp. 325–342.
Barach, J.: 1985, ‘The Ethics of Hardball’,California Management Review 27(2), pp. 132–139.
Betz, M., L. O'Connell and J. M. Shepard: 1989, ‘Gender Differences in Proclivity for Unethical Behavior’,Journal of Business Ethics 8, pp. 321–324.
Bommer, M., C. Gratto, J. Gravander and M. Tuttle: 1987, ‘A Behavioral Model of Ethics and Unethical Decision Making’,Journal of Business Ethics 6, pp. 265–280.
Carroll, A. B.: 1975, ‘Managerial Ethics: Post-Watergate View’,Business Horizons 28, pp. 75–80.
Crittenden, V. L., W. F. Crittenden and J. M. Hawes: 1986, ‘Ethical Standards of Marketing Students’, in N. K. Malhotra, (ed.),Developments in Marketing Science (Academy of Marketing Science, Atlanta), pp. 164–168.
Dubinsky, A. J. and B. Loken: 1989, ‘Analyzing Ethical Decision Making in Marketing’,Journal of Business Research 19, pp. 83–107.
Grossman, B.: 1988,Corporate Loyalty: A Trust Betrayed (Penguin, Markham).
Harris, J.: 1990, ‘Ethical Values of Individuals at Different Levels in the Organizational Hierarchy of a Single Firm’,Journal of Business Ethics 9, pp. 741–750.
House, R. T. and S. Kerr: 1973, ‘Organizational Independence, Leader Behavior, and Managerial Practices: A Replicated Study’,Journal of Applied Psychology 58, pp. 173–180.
Jackall, R.: 1988,Moral Mazes: The World of the Corporate Manager (Oxford University Press, New York).
Jones, T.: 1991, ‘Ethical Decision Making by Individuals in Organizations: An Issue-Contingent Model’,Academy of Management Review 16, pp. 366–395.
Kanter, R.: 1977,Men and Women of the Corporation (Basic Books, New York).
Kerr, S., R. J. House and L. A. Wigdor: 1971, ‘Some Moderating Effects of Organizational Independence’,Proceedings of the Academy, Eastern Academy of Management, pp. 40–49.
Kidwell, J. M., R. E. Stevens and A. L. Bethke: 1987, ‘Differences in Ethical Perceptions Between Male and Female Managers: Myth or Reality?’,Journal of Business Ethics 6, pp. 489–493.
Meyer, J. P. and N. J. Allen: 1984, ‘Testing the “Side-bet Theory” of Organizational Commitment: Some Methodological Considerations’,Journal of Applied Psychology 69, pp. 372–378.
Miller, M.: 1992,A Cross-National Comparison of Business Ethics in Canada and Japan, Unpublished Masters Thesis, University of Saskatchewan.
Mitchell, W., P. Lewis and N. Reinsch, Jr.: 1992, ‘Bank Ethics: An Exploratory Study of Ethical Behaviors and Perceptions in Small, Local Banks’,Journal of Business Ethics 11, pp. 197–205.
Modic, S.: 1987, ‘Forget Ethics — and Succeed?’,Industry Week 235(2), pp. 17–18.
Murphy, P. R., J. E. Smith and J. M. Daley: 1992, ‘Executive Attitudes, Organizational Size and Ethical Issues: Perspectives on a Service Industry’,Journal of Business Ethics 11, pp. 11–19.
Pennings, J. M.: 1970, ‘Work-Value Systems of White Collar Workers’,Administrative Science Quarterly 15, pp. 69–79.
Posner, B. Z. and W. H. Schmidt: 1984, ‘Values and the American Manager: An Update’,California Management Review 26, pp. 202–216.
Posner, B. Z. and W. H. Schmidt: 1987, ‘Ethics in American Companies, a Managerial Perspective’,Journal of Business Ethics 6, pp. 383–391.
Senger, J.: 1971, ‘Managers' Perceptions of Subordinates' Competence as a Function of Personal Value Orientations’,Academy of Management Journal 14, pp. 415–423.
Stead, W. E., D. Worrell and J. G. Stead: 1990, ‘An Integrative Model for Understanding and Managing Ethical Behavior in Business Organizations’,Journal of Business Ethics 9, pp. 233–242.
Trevino, L. K.: 1986, ‘Ethical Decision Making in Organizations: A Person-situation Interactionist Model’,Academy of Management Review 11, pp. 601–617.
Tsalikis, J. and M. Ortiz-Buonafina: 1990, ‘Ethical Beliefs' Differences of Males and Females’,Journal of Business Ethics 9, pp. 509–517.
Waters, J., F. Bird and P. Chant: 1986, ‘Everyday Moral Issues Experienced by Managers’,Journal of Business Ethics 5, pp. 373–384.
Zey-Ferrell, M., K. M. Weaver and O. C. Ferrell: 1979, ‘Predicting Unethical Behavior Among Marketing Practitioners’,Human Relations 32, pp. 557–569.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The author is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. She has recently obtained her Ph.D. in Organizational Analysis.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wahn, J. Organizational dependence and the likelihood of complying with organizational pressures to behave unethically. J Bus Ethics 12, 245–251 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01686452
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01686452