A great many organizations have ethics and sustainability policies, but there remain concerns that the actions of these firms do not match the often lofty ambitions contained in these policies.  The danger of this disconnect is highlighted in a recent study from Baylor University, which shows that employees can embark on unethical behavior of their own when they see a gap between what managers say and what they do.

The researchers surveyed over 1,000 full- and part-time workers to understand how they feel when leaders don’t react appropriately to ethical matters at work.

“I believe the key surprise finding is that in an ethical environment – or one that is thought to be ethical – amoral management is even more problematic for employees,” the researchers say. “The amoral manager’s lack of an ethical message is particularly ambiguous in an environment that is otherwise offering clear messages about ethical expectations for organizational members.”

Amoral leadership

The volunteers were split into two groups and asked to complete surveys in which they assessed amoral management in the workplace.  The results suggest that illustrations of amoral management had a significant impact, especially when the ethical environment was high.

“Despite being problematic, amoral management is believed to be quite common in organizations,” the researchers explain. “The ill effects of amoral managers are made even worse when they operate in organizations that are thought to be ethical from the perspective of employees.”

The researchers define amoral leaders as distinct from unethical ones, as amoral leadership is far more frequently displayed.  This undermines the ethical behavior of their team, who themselves display less moral courage and higher levels of unethical behavior.

Moral courage

Moral courage is vital as it underpins our decision making when we recognize that there is a moral decision to be had and the danger in making it, but still do the right thing.

For instance, we might correct colleagues or adhere to specific policies even when there is peer pressure to breach them.  When moral courage is lacking in the workplace, it’s far more likely that unethical behaviors will result.

“It is imperative for managers to be vocal about their expectations when it comes to ethics,” the researchers say. “When they fail to engage in situations that have ethical implications, employees suffer.”

Moral workplaces

Given the damage amoral leadership can cause in the workplace, the researchers provide a number of tips to ensure that the workplace is as moral as possible.

• Organizations should realize that ethical environments alone do not prevent employees from behaving unethically. They need to be supported with leaders who engage when circumstances with ethical implications arise.
• When it comes to ethics, employees need consistent messages from their direct supervisors and the broader organization.
• Organizations should train supervisors to consistently and clearly engage employees regarding the ethical expectations of the organization and to address circumstances that have ethical implications.

“By introducing an amoral management measure, future research will be able to test the theoretical assumptions made by previous researchers and help managers recognize why leaders may default to amoral management and whether this leadership approach is effective or ineffective,” the researchers conclude.