How relevant is the APA ethics code to industrial-organizational psychology? Applicability, deficiencies, and recommendations

Abstract

Opinions have been divided regarding the relevance of the APA Ethics Code to non-mental health specialties and even whether the code should attempt to encompass all psychology specializations. However, these opinions have crystallized without the benefit of any appreciable empirical data, until now. This study investigates the applicability of the ethical principles and standards of the code to 398 first-person narratives of ethical incidents reported by industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists. On average, 2.8 (of the 5) principles enumerated in the code were deemed applicable to each incident, and each principle was applicable to more than half the incidents provided. Of the code’s 89 ethical standards, 75 (84.3%) were applicable to at least one incident. Among the 10 categories of standards, resolving ethical issues and human relations were the most frequently applicable, whereas therapy standards were virtually never applicable. However, for 42.7% of the incidents, trained judges identified a substantive deficiency or ambiguity for I-O psychologists in the code. These deficiencies were subsequently grouped into seven higher order categories (assessments in organizations; research practices; data management; professional interactions; business practices; student ethics; and proactive ethical behavior). Recommendations are offered for improving those putative deficiencies, and implications are discussed for I-O psychologists, the APA’s Ethics Code Task Force (ECTF), and other nonclinical domains of psychology.

Proactive personality, transformational leadership and ethical standards: influences on radical creativity

“…Remarkably, a unique perspective is provided by the boundless concept of the career based on the contemporary concept of career success: professional criteria are actively managed by individuals and guided by their internal values (Briscoe et al ., 2006) and converted through changes in people and the environment over time rather than through simple vertical development. This implies that ethical practice can be a powerful tool for strengthening organisations, especially when using different methods to create an ethical work culture for employees (Valentine et al ., 2011; Watts et al ., 2023). “When organisations provide an environment or “culture” conducive to such exchanges (e.g.…”

“…However, the vision itself is not directional and may lead to inefficiency or even failure when followers strive for it through rule-breaking behaviours. In contrast, the involvement of professional ethical standards provides a plan for future directions, enabling leaders and employees to purposefully collaborate toward success (Peng and Wei, 2016; Watts et al ., 2023), which promotes the realisation of radical creativity. This is a significant reason why we introduced professional ethical standards as an explanatory variable.…”

Moving beyond compliance to conventional wisdom: How I-O professionals can promote an ethical organizational culture

“…While the implications of Watt et al’s (2023) analysis are undeniable, if the code is to be utilized as a general guide, why then does the code need to be enforced for I-O psychologists? Furthermore, how do I-O psychologists use the code to promote ethical behavior within their organizations?…”