Ethics and Values in Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Citation

O'Driscoll, M. (2007), "Ethics and Values in Industrial and Organizational Psychology", Personnel Review, Vol. 36 No. 5, pp. 836-838. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710774089

Joel Lefkowitz, a professor at Baruch College, the City University of New York, is a leading scholar and commentator in the field of organizational ethics. This volume makes a substantial contribution to the literature in this area and will serve as a valuable resource for academics and practitioners alike. As the title indicates, the book was written for industrial and organizational psychologists, who represent just one of several professions which have a stake in organizational ethics, and its audience is most likely to be academics and practitioners who operate under the banner of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology. Nevertheless, the book covers topics and issues which are of concern to a wide range of professional groups, and hence it will be of interest to all those who do research and provide consultation services to organizations, as well as human resource professionals and other organizational practitioners.

Ethics and Values in Industrial and Organizational Psychology is structured into several distinct, albeit overlapping, sections. Lefkowitz begins with a description and discussion of ethics and values from the perspective of moral philosophy. The first section of the book outlines various philosophical standpoints, as well as discussing issues such as the use of ethical reasoning, the need for consistency in ethical decision making, and cultural relativism, which are all critical to an understanding of organizational ethics. He then moves on to describe two major ethical positions – deontological and teleological. The deontological view is that certain actions or behaviours are inherently ethical or unethical, and this does not vary with circumstances or conditions. For instance, murdering another person might be viewed as inherently immoral and unethical, irrespective of the circumstances. The 12 commandments are a prime example of a deontological approach to ethical behaviour. The teleological stance (sometimes referred to now as the “consequentialist'view) is that whether a behaviour is considered ethical or not is determined by the outcome(s) of that behaviour. For instance, stealing an old person's life savings might be regarded as more unethical than stealing a small amount of money from a wealthy business person. According to Lefkowitz, moral psychology, which is concerned with the learning and display of ethical behaviour, has emerged from these alternative conceptions of ethical actions. Hence, psychologists have been concerned with issues such as moral development (e.g. Piaget, and more recently Kohlberg), the acquisition of moral values and the effects of these values on people's motivation, and organizational influences (such as leadership) on moral/ethical behaviour.

Section 2 of the book more closely examines values, which underpin ethical motivation, attitudes and behaviour. While the term “value” has been defined in several ways, fundamentally values refer to people's preferences or the perceived importance of different end‐states of existence or pathways to achieving these end‐states. Values can, of course, be investigated at different levels, including the individual person, the social group(s) to which he or she belongs, occupations or professions, and organizations. Lefkowitz provides a detailed discussion of various perspectives on business‐related values and ethics, including issues such as corporate social responsibility and the need to recognize multiple stakeholders in an organization. He makes the point that we cannot ignore the moral justification of the business enterprise, that it is critical to incorporate moral philosophy and recognize that beliefs and assumptions about appropriate the appropriate role(s) of business in society are very relevant to considerations about what is ethical. In addition, he cogently argues that globalization trends have implications for individual moral sensitivity and ethical leadership in organizations.

An entire chapter within this section of the book is devoted to values and ethics in I/O psychology. Values and ethics are important to all professional specialties, but Lefkowitz notes that there is a lack of specific focus on these issues at major conferences in the I/O psychology field, as well as in recent surveys of industrial/organizational psychologists themselves to explore their priorities and areas of interest. While it is recognized that ethics may well be embedded in a wide array of practices and activities of I/O psychologists, the lack of dedicated focus on ethical issues is, according to Lefkowitz, both notable and a cause of some concern. When we consider that there is still a perception of some bias in I/O psychology toward organizational/managerial interests at the expense of the rights of individual employees, it is important for members of this profession to engage in more public discussion of their values and ethics. Having said this, some may not totally agree with Lefkowitz’ suggestion that there is a lack of focus on individual employee rights. For instance, along with other professionals, I/O psychologists have in recent years paid considerable attention to issues such as individual stress and wellbeing in the workplace, and there have been numerous publications in both academic and applied journals of research relating to interventions designed to alleviate individual work‐related stress and enhance wellbeing among employees. Nevertheless, Lefkowitz’ point about public perceptions of the role(s) of industrial/organizational psychologists is well taken.

Section 3 of the book deals specifically with organizational research and the multitude of ethical issues confronted by researchers in this area, including informed consent, confidentiality and anonymity, and the use of deception in research designs. Lefkowitz rightly emphasizes the need to give priority to employee autonomy in choosing whether or not to participate in surveys and other forms of research. The importance of obtaining ethical approval for all research is reiterated. Although there is nothing particularly new in his treatment of these topics, the coverage provided is comprehensive and thorough, and will be of value to those engaging in research within organizational settings.

The final section outlines some general issues that are pertinent to the work of industrial/organizational psychologists, and indeed, all human resource professionals, in organizations. These include the responsibility of care for employees, demonstrating fairness and justice, and carrying out an audit of ethical practices within each organization. The book concludes with a model for making ethical decisions and taking moral actions in relation to organizations and their members.

One of the major strengths of this book is its inclusion of illustrations for the many and varied concepts that are introduced, along with the provision of quite specific guidelines as well as a clear description of relevant issues. This is a timely publication, given the widespread concern with ethical practice, not just in industrial/organizational psychology but more broadly, and the issues discussed in the book will be of considerable interest to other professional groups functioning with the same or similar arenas. It will also be useful as a textbook in post‐graduate courses at university level.