Ethics education: the impact of ethics training engagement on unethical decision-making in the workplace

Abstract

This study examined the impact of ethics training engagement (i.e., active learning vs. passive learning) on unethical decision-making in the workplace. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions. Next, a baseline measurement of ethical ideology was collected using the Ethics Position Questionnaire (EPQ) and participants then engaged in ethics training based on the condition to which they were randomly assigned. They then had the option to read along or listen to a hypothetical scenario about an employee faced with the opportunity to make an unethical decision, and completed the Unethical Decision Questionnaire (UDQ). Results showed that participants in the passive learning condition were significantly more likely to perceive an unethical situation as ethical compared to participants in the active learning ethics training condition. Additionally, participants in the passive learning condition were significantly more likely to engage in unethical decision-making than participants in the active learning condition.The current findings contribute to the existing literature by providing evidence that active learning in ethics training programs could reduce unethical decision-making within the workplace.

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