Friday, July 30, 2010

Does inequity induce cheating?

University of North Carolina Professor Francesca Gino has conducted some fascinating research on unethical behavior. For instance, her studies have shown that people may be more likely to engage in unethical behavior if they perceive certain unjustified inequities. In short, people become upset and envious in these situations of perceived inequity, and consequently, they may be more willing to cheat as those emotions affect their behavior. The question for managers: are there inequities in your workplace that really seem unfair to some employees? If so, beware the potential dangers.

1 comment:

BG said...

The question would be whether the "unethical" behavior identified related to the injustice. For example, restrictions on web usage may lead to employees circumventing controls, but would it lead to theft? Is the cause/effect straightforward or do the perceived injustices lead to a general moral decay?