Shawn

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Shawns Lecture on Ethics
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• I am a liar.

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Why we are unethical?

• Cognitive Dissonance
• Assumptions Behind Unethical Decisions
• Assumption 1--Its a shortcut to success
• Assumption 2Advantages outweigh disadvantages

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The Perceived Advantages

• speed
• profit
• path of least resistance
• equity since others cheat (prisoners dilemma)
• no disadvantages if not caught

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What it would look like
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A structured response

• What does it mean to be ethical?
• Why does being ethical matter?
• How do we become more ethical?

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Shawns Probability Measures

• Chance of winning the Powerball Lotto
• 1 in 36,000,000
• Chance of correctly predicting the entire NCAA
  basketball brackets?
• 1 in 36, 000, 000, 000
• Chance of doing something unethical without
  suffering a cost?
• Priceless.
• 0 in 36,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

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Transcendental, Intuitive ethics

• An intuitive moral compass
• Greatest leadership trait is trustworthiness (Den
  Hartog)
• Best leaders are servants who subjugate their
  own needs (Collins)
• Priests score higher than CEOs on Multifactor
  Leadership Questionnaire (Druskat)

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Homers Theory on the Plight of American Workers
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Cognitive Dissonance

• Cognitive dissonance
• Divided Soul of Corporate America (Mitroff and
  Denton)
• Majority feel cognitive dissonance (Renesch)
• Dissonance decreases morale, productivity and
  successful completion of tasks

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The Psychological Toll of Being Unethical
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The Psychological Toll of Being Unethical

• Being Unethical Increases Autonomic Nervous
  System Stress
• Lie detection as proof
• Small rationalized decisions still create stress

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Autonomic Nervous System
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Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous System
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The Psychological Toll of Being Unethical

• Sympathetic system is catabolic
• Stress decreases health
• Becomes a pattern Sympathetic Response Dominance

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Negative Effects of the Soprano Effect

• Fatigue
• Blood clotting
• High cholesterol
• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Chronically tensed muscles
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Obesity
• Increased sensitivity to pain

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Lie Detector Documentary
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If the Gamble Fails
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Debating with the unethical choice

• Rationales
• Its a quick way to get ahead
• You make more money
• Im just one person
• The little stuff doesnt matter
• Its just one time
• All of these are wrong.

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Its a quick way to get ahead

• No, it decreases the chance of success
• The costs to the organization
• Undercut productivity and morale
• Littles research on personal projects
• Good ethics, like self-concordant goals
• Higher success because of elevated mood,
  endurance and drive

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But you make money

• No, you lose money. A lot of money.
• Increased turnover and training costs (Mayfield)
• 7 times more loyal if ethical
• High levels of loyalty increase 11
  productivity
• Low integrity 34 more turnover

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Hey, Im just one person

• Yes, but youre the most important person
• Leaders have the biggest impact (Morgan)
• Leaders influence ethics more than peers

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Its small so it doesnt matter

• Nope, just the opposite.
• The little stuff matters more than the big stuff
• Broken Window theory (Gladwell)
• Tipping point the epidemiology of poor ethics

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Its just one time

• Wrong again.
• Single and small unethical decisions have global
  implications
• Friendly FirePractical Drift (Snook)

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How to Change Our Lyin Ways

• Ethics are created only through habit and
  socialization
• Creation of intervening mechanisms
• Want to Know