Abstract
This paper describes the moral judgments made by various stakeholders in determining whether an event, caused by an organizational employee, constitutes dishonesty. It models person-situation interaction effects of situations in organizational settings and persons making moral judgments to predict judgments of dishonesty. Using a prototype definition of dishonesty, the paper examines the effects of differences in four areas (the prototypicality of the act, the actor's motivation, the potential consequences, and the person judging the event) on the moral judgment of whether the event constitutes dishonesty. The implications for managers and researchers of the resulting contingent prototype model of dishonesty are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Backman, C.: 1976, 'Explorations on Psycho-ethics: The Warranting of Judgments', in R. Harre (ed.), Life Sentences: Aspects of the Social Role of Language (John Wiley & Sons, London), pp. 98-108.
Baker and Schmidt: 1998, Washington Post.
Baumeister, R. F.: 1996, Evil Inside Human Cruelty and Violence (W. H. Freeman and Company, New York).
Bies, R. J. and T. M. Tripp: 1998, 'Revenge in Organizations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly', in R. W. Griffin, A. O'Leary-Kelley and J. M. Collins (eds.), Dysfunctional Behavior in Organizations: Non-Violent Dysfunctional Behavior (JAI Press, Stamford), pp. 49-67.
Bok, S.: 1989, Lying (Random House, New York).
Chisholm, R. M. and T. D. Feehan: 1977, 'The Intent to Deceive', The Journal of Philosophy 74(3) (March), 143-159.
Coleman, L. and P. Kay: 1981, 'Prototype Semantics', Language 57(1), 26-44.
Couch, L. L. and W. H. Jones: 1997, 'Measuring Levels of Trust', Journal of Research in Personality 31(3), 319-336.
DePaulo, B. M., J. A. Epstein and M. M. Wyer: 1993, 'Sex Differences in Lying', in Michael Lewis and Carolyn Saarni (ed.), Lying and Deception in Everyday Life (Guilford Press, Guilford Publications Inc., New York, U.S.A.), pp. 126-147.
DePaulo, B. M., J. I. Stone and G. D. Lassiter: 1985, 'Deceiving and Detecting Deceit', in B. R. Schlenker (ed.), The Self and Social Life (McGraw-Hill, New York), pp. 323-370.
Donaldson, T. and L. E. Preston: 1995, 'The Stakeholder Theory of the Corporation: Concepts, Evidence, and Implications', Academy of Management Review 20(1), 65-91.
Ekman, P.: 1988, 'Lying and Nonverbal Behavior: Theoretical Issues and New Findings', Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 12(3) (Fall), 163-175.
Ekman, P.: 1992, Telling Lies (W.W. Norton & Company, New York).
Ekman, P. and M. G. Frank: 1993, 'Lies That Fail', in Michael Lewis and Carolyn Saarni (ed.), Lying and Deception in Everyday Life (Guilford Press, Guilford Publications, Inc., New York, USA), pp. 184-200.
Ekman, P. and M. O'Sullivan: 1991, 'Who Can Catch a Liar?', American Psychologist 46(9) (September), 913-920.
Elangovan, A. R. and D. L. Shapiro: 1998, 'Betrayal of Trust in Organizations', Academy of Management Review 23(3), 547-566.
Elm, D. R. and J. D. Teplensky: 1998, 'Three Faces of Honesty: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis', in J. Post (ed.), Research in Corporate Social Performance (JAI, Greenwich, CT), pp. 107-123.
Greenberg, J.: 1997, 'A Social Influence Model of Employee Theft: Beyond the Fraud Triangle', in R. J. Lewicki, R. J. Bies and B. H. Sheppard (eds.), Research on Negotiation in Organizations (JAI Press, Greenwich, CT), pp. 29-52.
Greenberg, J. and K. S. Scott: 1996, 'Why Do Workers Bite the Hands That Feed Them? Employee Theft as a Social Exchange Process', Research in Organizational Behavior 18, 111-156.
Grover, S. L.: 1993, 'Lying, Deceit, and Subterfuge: A Model of Dishonesty in the Workplace. Focused Issue: The Legalistic Organization', Organization Science 4(3) (August), 478-495.
Heider, F.: 1958, The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations (John Wiley & Sons, New York).
Hollinger, R. C. and J. P. Clark: 1983, Theft by Employees (Lexington Books, Lexington, MA).
Johnson, M.: 1993, Moral Imagination (University of Chicago Press, Chicago).
Jones, T. M.: 1991, 'Ethical Decision Making by Individuals in Organizations: An Issue Contingent Model', Academy of Management Review 16(2), 366-395.
Jones, T. M. and L. V. Ryan: 1997, 'The Link Between Ethical Judgment and Action in Organizations: A Moral Approbation Approach', Organization Science 8(6) (November-December), 663-680.
Lakoff, G.: 1993, 'The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor', in A. Ortony (ed.), Metaphor and Thought (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge).
Lewicki, R. J.: 1983, 'Lying and Deception A Behavioral Model', in M. H. Bazerman and R. J. Lewicki (eds.), Negotiating in Organizations (Sage, Beverly Hills, CA), pp. 68-90.
Lewicki, R. J., T. Poland, J. W. Minton and B. H. Sheppard: 1997, 'Dishonesty as Deviance: A Typology of Workplace Dishonesty and Contributing Factors', Research on Negoatiation in Organizations 6, 53-86.
Lewicki, R. J. and R. J. Robinson: 1998, 'Ethical and Unethical Bargaining Tactics: An Empirical Study', Journal of Business Ethics 17, 665-682.
Lewicki, R. J. and N. Stark: 1996, 'What is Ethically Appropriate in Negotiations: An Empirical Examination of Bargaining Tactics', Social Justice Research 9(1), 69-95.
Maier, R. A. and P. J. Lavrakas: 1976, 'Lying Behavior and Evaluation of Lies', Perceptual and Motor Skills 42, 575-581.
Mayer, R. J., J. H. Davis and F. D. Schoorman: 1995, 'An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust', Academy of Management Review 20, 709-734.
Murphy, K. R. and S. L. Lee: 1994, 'Personality Variables Related to Integrity Test Scores: The Role of Conscientiousness', Journal of Business & Psychology 8(4) (Summer), 413-424.
Ross, W. T. and D. C. Robertson: 2000, 'Lying: The Impact of Decision Context', Business Ethics Quarterly 10(2) (April), 409-440.
Scott, E. D. and K. A. Jehn: 1999, 'Ranking Rank Behaviors: A Comprehensive Situation-Based Definition of Dishonesty', Business and Society 38(3) (September), 299-328.
Shapiro, D. L.: 1991, 'The Effects of Explanations on Negative Reactions to Deceit', Administrative Science Quarterly 36(4) (December), 614-630.
Shapiro, D. L., R. J. Lewicki and P. Devine: 1995, 'When Do Employees Choose Deceptive Tactics to Stop Unwanted Organizational Change?: A Relational Perspective', in R. J. Bies, Lewicki Roy J. and B. H. Sheppard (eds.), Research on Negotiation in Organizations (JAI Press, Greenwich, CT), pp. 155-184.
Snyder, C. R.: 1985, 'The Excuse: An Amazing Grace?', in B. R. Schlenker (ed.), The Self and Social Life (McGraw Hill, New York), pp. 235-260.
Sweetser, E. E.: 1992, 'The Definition of Lie An Examination of the Folk Models Underlying a Semantic Prototype', in N. Quinn and D. Holland (eds.), Cultural Models in Language and Thought (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge), pp. 43-66.
Sykes, G. and D.: Matza: 1957, 'Techniques of Neutralization: A Theory of Delinquency', American Sociological Review 22, 640-670.
Treviño, L. K.: 1986, 'Ethical Decision Making in Organizations: A Person-Situation Interactionist Model', Academy of Management Review 11(3), 601-617.
Victor, B. and J. B. Cullen: 1988, 'The Organizational Bases of Ethical Work Climates', Administrative Science Quarterly 33, 101-125.
Werhane, P.: 1999, Moral Imagination and Management Decision-Making (Oxford University Press, Oxford).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Scott, E.D., Jehn, K.A. Multiple Stakeholder Judgments of Employee Behaviors: A Contingent Prototype Model of Dishonesty. Journal of Business Ethics 46, 235–250 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025529504435
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025529504435