What are the four rationalizations found in explaining unethical behavior? Associate these four rationalizations to the four corresponding stages of moral development that can be found among companies.
Unethical behavior in any organization is beyond tolerable and is not acceptable under any circumstance. However, with the research there are reports which show that people themselves introspect and realize that they are wrong. Hence, There are four main ways in which people rationalize their own unethical behavior. These four ways are:
- People analyse and constantly tell themselves that the behavior shown by them is not very ethical and rational. They try and realize what them do such a behavior and try to make amendments about the same.
- Punishments acts a major source of regret. With strict guidelines and policies people thing twice before doing any unethical behavior. It is very important for every organization to form such strict rules which do not give room for any employee to act against the guidelines of the organization. Employees fear the after effect and suddenly realize about their wrong doings.
- Sometimes employees take things very lightly, they believe that they are not being watched and they can get away by doing anything. This is very common in large scale organizations where the number of employees is huge. However, there should be strict strategies which do not allow any employee to take such a behavior for granted.
- Once an employee is working in any organization, he/she becomes the brand ambassador of that organization. The employee represents the brand image wherever he/she goes. Hence it is the duty of every employee to behave rationally and not behave in an unethical manner. However, employees start over trusting the company and they feel that the company will save the employee despite of all sorts of unethical behavior.We now associate these four rationalizations which are mentioned above to the four corresponding stages of moral development.
One of the above mentioned rationalizations that is used most often is the first one that is Mostly people who try and act unethically be it intentional or unintentional manage to self introspect and gradually tell themselves that what they are doing is wrong and unacceptable. Hence, we keep telling ourselves that we are fine and we are doing alright, even if others think we are not or we might really not be fine.
However, they keep telling themselves that people who have made these rules are themselves not ethical or don not know a lot of things.As a result, this allows people to feel what they are doing which is ethical is absolutely right as it might lead to the benefit of the organization in which they are working in, as they believe too much in the firm and they in the impression that firm will stand by them no matter what.
There is belief which stays with them always, and that is how people tend to rationalize the unethical behavior which they do.