1 / 21

HOW PEOPLE MAKE SENSE OF ETHICAL EVENTS

HOW PEOPLE MAKE SENSE OF ETHICAL EVENTS. Jay Caughron University of Oklahoma 2009 Conference on Research Integrity May 17 th , 2009. Background: What do we know?. Ethical events Complex, ambiguous, socially relevant Cognitive reasoning strategies known to enhance EDM

davidkelly
Download Presentation

HOW PEOPLE MAKE SENSE OF ETHICAL EVENTS

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. HOW PEOPLE MAKE SENSE OF ETHICAL EVENTS Jay Caughron University of Oklahoma 2009 Conference on Research Integrity May 17th, 2009

  2. Background: What do we know? • Ethical events • Complex, ambiguous, socially relevant • Cognitive reasoning strategies known to enhance EDM • Anticipating consequences • Recognizing circumstances • Considering others • Lingering questions • Why are these strategies effective for promoting EDM? • Why are the strategies used in some situations but not in others? Mumford, Connelly, Brown, Murphy, Hill, Antes, Waples, & Devenport (2008)

  3. Background: What don’t we know? • Sensemaking • Prompted by novel, unusual, ambiguous circumstances • The process by which an individual creates a meaningful and actionable representation of a situation in their mind • Situational Influences • How does the situation a person is in influence the cognitive process of ethical decision-making? Weick (1995)

  4. Hypotheses • H1: Better sensemaking will result in decisions of higher ethicality • H2: The use of cognitive reasoning strategies will enhance sensemaking • H3: Situational conditions will influence the degree to which an individual will use cognitive reasoning strategies Cognitive Reasoning Strategies Sensemaking Ethicality of Decisions Situational Conditions

  5. Method • 2x2x2 • Manipulations: Situational Variables • Sample: 163 undergraduates • Scenario based task • Decision-maker in an organization • Provide solutions to problems that are presented • Based on EDM Taxonomy • Covariate Control Measures • Content Coded Responses

  6. Manipulations: Situational Variables • Cause of Ethical Event • Personal Cause • Situational Cause • Outcome Focus • Personal • Organizational • Outcome Valence • Positive • Negative

  7. Content Coding • Cognition variables rated by expert judges • Ethicality of decisions • Sensemaking variables • No. Issues • No. Issue Types • Info Integration • Strategy use variables • Anticipating Consequences • Recognizing Circumstances • Considering Others

  8. Results: Hypothesis 1 † = p<.10 * = p<.05 **= p<.01

  9. Results Summary: Hypothesis 1 • Hypothesis 1: Higher quality sensemaking results in more ethical decisions No. of Issues ↑ No. of Issue Types ↑ Ethicality ↑ Information Integration = Significant at p < .10 = Significant at p < .05

  10. Results: Hypothesis 2 † = p<.10 * = p<.05 **= p<.01

  11. Results: Hypothesis 2 * = p<.05 **= p<.01

  12. Results: Hypothesis 2 † = p<.10 * = p<.05 **= p<.01

  13. Results Summary: Hypothesis 2 • Hypothesis 2: Greater use of reasoning strategies will promote sensemaking ↑ Anticipating Consequences ↑ No. of Issues ↑ Recognizing Circumstances ↑ Types of Issues ↑ Considering Others ↑ Info. Integration = Significant at p < .10 = Significant at p < .05

  14. Results: Hypothesis 3 * = p<.05 ** = p<.01

  15. Results: Hypothesis 3 Outcome Focus Manipulation Results Note: Personal condition significantly lower at the p<.01 level for all strategies Measured on a 5-point scale

  16. Results Summary: Hypothesis 3 • H3: Situational conditions will influence the degree to which an individual will use cognitive reasoning strategies Cause of Ethical Event (Personal/Situational Anticipating Consequences Outcome Focus (Org./Personal) Recognizing Circumstances Considering Others Outcome Valence (Positive/Negative) = Significant at p < .01

  17. Limitations • Undergrad sample • Low fidelity simulation • Low to moderate levels of co-linearity • Method bias

  18. Overall Summary • Organizational focus on outcomes increased strategy use • Strategy use associated with more effective sensemaking • Better sensemaking associated with ethicality of decisions

  19. Implications Take a broad perspective concerning ethical events • Organizational focus better than personal focus • Personalizing things could back-fire • Not just about active cognition • Variety of issue types better than a lot of issues • Integrating information into a coherent whole is vital • Role of considering others and recognizing circumstances

  20. Research Team • Faculty • Dr. Michael Mumford • Dr. Lynn Devenport • Dr. Shane Connelly • Dr. Ryan Brown • Graduate Students • Alison Antes • Laura Martin • Cheryl Beeler • Xiaoqian Wang • Chase Thiel • Funding • National Institutes of Health • Office of Research Integrity

  21. Hypothesis Summary • Situational • Conditions • Cause of event • Focus of Outcome • Outcome Valence • Reasoning • Strategies • Anticipating • Consequences • Recognizing • Circumstances • Considering • Others • Sensemaking • No. of Issues • Types of Issues • Information • Integration Ethicality of Decisions

More Related