Consequentialist Motives for Punishment Signal Trustworthiness

Nathan A. Dhaliwal (), Daniel P. Skarlicki, JoAndrea Hoegg and Michael A. Daniels
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Nathan A. Dhaliwal: UBC Sauder School of Business, The University of British Columbia
Daniel P. Skarlicki: UBC Sauder School of Business, The University of British Columbia
JoAndrea Hoegg: UBC Sauder School of Business, The University of British Columbia
Michael A. Daniels: UBC Sauder School of Business, The University of British Columbia

Journal of Business Ethics, 2022, vol. 176, issue 3, No 3, 466 pages

Abstract: Abstract Upholding cooperative norms via punishment is of central importance in organizations. But what effect does punishing have on the reputation of the punisher? Although previous research shows third parties can garner reputational benefits for punishing transgressors who violate social norms, we proposed that such reputational benefits can vary based on the perceived motive for the punishment. In Studies 1 and 2, we found that individuals who endorsed a consequentialist (versus deontological) motive for punishing were seen as more trustworthy. In Study 3, the results showed that when pitted against one another, a person who endorsed a consequentialist (versus deontological) motive for punishing was chosen more often as a partner in a Trust Game. In Study 4, we found that a manager who expressed a consequentialist reason for punishing an employee was seen as having less psychopathic tendencies, and this related to the manager being perceived as more trustworthy and a superior cooperation partner. Using a recall methodology, Study 5 results showed that employees who perceived their managers as having more consequentialist (versus deontological) motives for punishing also perceived their managers as being less psychopathic and more trustworthy. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords: Punishment; Deontology; Trust (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-020-04664-5

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