The Ethics ‘‘Fix’’: When Formal Systems Make a Difference

What makes a company's ethics program effective at deterring fraudulent conduct? In a 2014 paper, Ethical Systems collaborator Ann Tenbrunsel demonstrated the interdependence of formal and informal systems in fostering ethical behavior…

Rediscovering the Human Purposes of Business, by Mark Goyder

Below is the text of a speech given by Mark Goyder, Founder and Director of Tomorrow’s Company, at the Caux Initiatives for Business Conference, Panchgani India, on 12 November 2013. Goyder sent me (Jon Haidt) the text of this speech…

Featured Collaborator of the Month: Linda Treviño

My research demonstrates why it is important for organizations to create structures and systems that support doing the right thing (because in the ethics realm, most normal people are susceptible to external influences). 

My work also demonstrates the importance of a variety of these structures and systems, both formal and informal ones. For example, performance management systems are crucial, and leaders at all levels have an extraordinary influence (both good and bad) on followers through their behaviors, the messages they send (subtle and not so subtle), and the cultures they create.  

Featured Collaborator of the Month: Daylian Cain

I study judgment and decision making, or, as I like to say, “why good people do bad things, and why smart people do dumb things.” Much of my work is on conflicts of interest and how they are problems not only for the intentionally corrupt but also for well-meaning professionals who fall prey to unintentional bias.

2014- Fighting Corruption: An Assessment

As 2015 begins, despite vigorous enforcement activity, corruption appears to be holding its own against efforts to contain and deter it.  In its 2013 year-end FCPA Update, the law firm Gibson Dunn reported: “It has been another year…

It’s time for policy makers to enter the 21st century

Can you imagine a world where marketers promoted products without knowledge of psychology and persuasion? Well, the equivalent is happening in policy making and international development- in fact it is the standard. Programs are created with…

(Un)Ethical Behavior in Organizations

Wouldn’t it be helpful if there was a review of some of the most influential, recent work on ethical behavior in organizations?  Well Ethical Systems collaborator Linda Trevino and colleagues have provided just that with their excellent…
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A Disruption Method for Bribes: Governments and Systems Interventions

Like dancing the tango, a bribe requires two people for it to be successful. Current governmental policies reward whistle blowers and punish the party who offered the bribe- in other words, reactive punishments are commonplace. But what if governments…

“Mind, Society and Behavior” and Ethical Systems Design

David Brooks recently published an insightful piece (In Praise of Small Miracles) about “Mind, Society and Behavior,” a recent report issued by The World Bank on how behavioral economics can be applied to global development and global health. Brooks…

Making capitalism more ethical: Dynamism with decency

When I tell people I teach business ethics, they often ask: “isn’t that an oxymoron?” Their response is not unwarranted. Much of my course is about the clever ways businesses have found to exploit their workers, sidestep regulations, and…