The Relationship Between Individual Work Values and Unethical Decision-Making and Behavior at Work

Luis M. Arciniega (), Laura J. Stanley (), Diana Puga-Méndez (), Dalia Obregón-Schael () and Isaac Politi-Salame ()
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Luis M. Arciniega: ITAM School of Business
Laura J. Stanley: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Diana Puga-Méndez: ITAM School of Business
Dalia Obregón-Schael: ITAM School of Business
Isaac Politi-Salame: ITAM School of Business

Journal of Business Ethics, 2019, vol. 158, issue 4, No 16, 1133-1148

Abstract: Abstract This paper explores the relationship between individual work values and unethical decision-making and actual behavior at work through two complementary studies. Specifically, we use a robust and comprehensive model of individual work values to predict unethical decision-making in a sample of working professionals and accounting students enrolled in ethics courses, and IT employees working in sales and customer service. Study 1 demonstrates that young professionals who rate power as a relatively important value (i.e., those reporting high levels of the self-enhancement value) are more likely to violate professional conduct guidelines despite receiving training regarding ethical professional principles. Study 2, which examines a group of employees from an IT firm, demonstrates that those rating power as an important value are more likely to engage in non-work-related computing (i.e., cyberloafing) even when they are aware of a monitoring software that tracks their computer usage and an explicit policy prohibiting the use of these computers for personal reasons.

Keywords: Work values; Unethical behavior; Professional conduct; Cyberloafing; Non-work-related computing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-017-3764-3

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