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This guide covers ethics in HR research, from planning and participant recruitment to study execution and reporting results. Topics include informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and special considerations in HR studies. It addresses ethical issues related to participant selection, recruitment strategies, and maintaining integrity throughout the research process.
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Ethics in HR research • Planning of Study • Participant Recruitment & Selection • Study Execution • Reporting of Results • Enforcing Ethics
Ethics in Planning • Competence to conduct research • Researcher’s skills & expertise • Familiarity with ethical guidelines • Sound research design • Based on theory & previous research, use appropriate methods & applicable samples • Ethical acceptability of study • Cost vs. benefits of study • Costs of not conducting study
Ethics in Participant Recruitment & Selection • Using subject pools • Employees • Employee beliefs re: effects of and confidentiality of non-participation • E.g., Absenteeism study • Implications of organizational consent for employee consent • Appropriate language • E.g., Latino immigrants’ study; Absenteeism study
Ethics in Participant Recruitment & Selection • Using subject pools • University students • Issues w/losing vs. gaining credit, student beliefs • Minors in universities • Parental consent • Language
Ethics in Participant Recruitment & Selection • Volunteers • Recruitment strategies • Highlight importance of research • Make non-threatening request for participation • Offer small gift for participation • Feedback report w/findings & recommendations • Avoid stressful tasks • Assure anonymity & confidentiality
Ethics in Participant Recruitment & Selection • Volunteers • Identify issues of concern when studying exploited groups • Danger of potentially harmful results • E.g., diversity studies; Latino immigrants study • Excessive & coercive incentives • SES of participants; willingness to undergo considerable risk
Ethics in HR research • Planning of Study • Participant Recruitment & Selection • Study Execution • Reporting of Results • Enforcing Ethics
Ethics in Study Execution • Informed consent • Privacy • Confidentiality • Deception • Debriefing • Special issues in HR/IR/IO research
Ethics in Study Execution Informed Consent • Study Description • Purpose • What is expected of participants • E.g., amt of time taken, type of tasks to be completed • Importance of study • Can increase participants’ motivation to be honest • Relevant info to make decision about participation • Need not reveal study hypotheses
Ethics in Study Execution Informed Consent • Right to decline or withdraw at any time without negative consequences • E.g., students, employment status of participant • Consequences of withdrawing before completing study • E.g., effect on payment
Ethics in Study Execution Informed Consent • List of risks • Stress, anxiety etc. • List of benefits • Scientific knowledge, report w/findings & recommendations • Steps taken to preserve confidentiality and/or anonymity • Promotes participation & honest responses (see p. 41) • Answer additional questions • Provide contact info for questions, concerns, report summary
Ethics in Study Execution Informed Consent • When not to use signed consent • Situations w/behavioral consent • Provide Study Information Sheet w/same info • E.g., Mail surveys study • When signed consent harms participants • E.g., Immigrant study
Ethics in Study Execution Informed Consent • Issues w/Experimental Research • Participants’ do not have choice in assignment to experimental vs. control condition • Ensures against sampling bias • Not available w/field correlational study
Ethics in Study Execution Informed Consent • Issues w/Qualitative Research • Participant observation • Being unobtrusive vs. reminding participants that they are being observed • Observation can change nature of phenomenon • Hidden observation • Public vs. private domain • Archival/Trace measures • Permission from participant vs. custodian of data
Ethics in Study Execution • Informed consent • Privacy • Confidentiality • Deception • Debriefing • Special issues in HR/IR/IO research
Ethics in Study Execution Privacy • Right to refuse/withdraw at any time • Type of info requested from participants • Right to limit the amount & sensitivity of info about themselves • Violation of privacy • When participants are given unwanted info • Info is released to unauthorized parties • Info for decisions is withheld
Ethics in Study Execution Confidentiality • Data issues • Access to data, maintenance of records, anonymity of participants, prevention of unauthorized disclosures • Nature of HR archival research • e.g., absenteeism study • Remove identifying info after coding • Balance b/w confidentiality and specificity of feedback (Saks)
Ethics in Study Execution Confidentiality • Issues w/Qualitative Studies • When verifying accuracy of participants’ statements • When documenting findings • When information that can do good to the system is unearthed • When info that can harm another individual is revealed
Ethics in Study Execution Confidentiality • Email & internet surveys • Confidentiality • Secure transfer and storage of data via data encryption technology & using passwords • Informed consent • To determine participants’ understanding • Provide phone/email info or arrange for personal meetings to answer qs • Debriefing Saks, Aguinas & Henle
Ethics in Study Execution Deception • Mislead, misinform, with-hold info, use confederates, produce false beliefs or assumptions • Used when alternatives are not feasible or appropriate • Demonstrate that value of deception outweighs harm to participants • Usually used in experimental studies
Ethics in Study Execution Deception • Consent form indicates possible use of deceptive procedures in study • Indicates physical/psychological harm or other conditions that may change willingness to participate • Debrief participants after study • About the nature and cause of deception • Take steps to undo harm/mistrust
Ethics in Study Execution Debriefing • Benefit of participation via scientific knowledge • Purpose of research • Info about previous research • How current study adds to knowledge • Info about design, procedures • Application of results to org’n settings • Importance of research • Obtain participant opinions about study and reasons for their responses
Ethics in Study Execution Debriefing • Preserve participants feelings of • Time well spent • Dignity • Remove effects of deception • Dehoaxing=explain deception, remove misinformation, alleviate negative feelings • Desensitize • Help participants deal w/new self insights as a result of responses in study or due to participation in study (e.g., anger toward confederate etc.) • Discuss Normality of reactions
Ethics in Study Execution • Informed consent • Privacy • Confidentiality • Deception • Debriefing • Special issues in HR/IR/IO research
Ethics in Study Execution Special Issues in HR/IR/IO • Conflicts in ethics of researchers and org’n stakeholders • Researchers’ obligation to ensure well-being of participants • Perception that participation is part of the job • Implications for informed consent, confidentiality, anonymity, privacy
Ethics in Study Execution Special Issues in HR/IR/IO • Right to beneficial treatments • Use lottery to assign to control vs. experimental groups • Implement interventions in stages • Spatially separate groups • Qualitative Data • Nature & quality of data produced can be shaped by researcher’s assumptions Saks
Ethics in Study Execution • Informed consent • Privacy • Confidentiality • Deception • Debriefing • Special issues in HR/IR/IO research
Ethics in HR research • Planning of Study • Participant Recruitment & Selection • Study Execution • Reporting of Results • Enforcing Ethics
Ethics in Reporting of Results • Misrepresenting • Falsification/omission • Recording data w/out being blind to hypotheses • Errors in data analyses/entry • Effect on future research • Censoring • Org’n is negatively portrayed • E.g., management study • Contradiction of previous research or hypotheses
Ethics in Reporting of Results • Plagiarism & authorship credit • Not giving credit for another’s ideas • Using another’s work w/out citing • Passing off another’s work as one’s own • Self-plagiarism • Data Sharing • Verify reported findings
Enforcing Ethics • Misconduct • Pressure to reject null hypothesis • Pressure for desirable findings • E.g., Validate interventions • Trimming=Removing outliers, dropping data • Cooking=Altering data • Forging=Making up data • Implications for literature base
Enforcing Ethics • Preventing misconduct • Familiarize oneself w/APA ethics code • Institute IRBs to assess potential risks • Minimize risks, benefits outweigh risks to participants, participants are fairly selected, informed consent is obtained & documented • Exemption from IRB, expedited review • Replicate research • Peer review of research
Ethics in HR research • Planning of Study • Participant Recruitment & Selection • Study Execution • Reporting of Results • Enforcing Ethics