Integrity and Ethical behaviour lab
Finding and removing the ‘rotten apple’ usually is not enough to address integrity issues in organizations. You have to dig deeper to find out how standard practices and the work climate might have contributed to the emergence of these problems. Regulators can play an important role in making this happen.
Morality is about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ but things are not always so black and white. Our perception of moral or ethical behaviour is influenced to a very large extent by our social environment and the groups we belong to. Likewise, organisational culture influences the moral behaviour of the people who work there. How, then, can organisations promote ethical and moral behaviour among staff? Who decides which (moral) choices are made? And how can organisations make sure staff learn from mistakes?
The research we do at the Integrity lab shines a light on the way people set their moral compass using a shared interpretation of, or opinion on, the concept of morality. We look at effective strategies to increase staff morality and create a culture in which it is okay to make mistakes.
In 2016 we partnered up with the Dutch independent market conduct authority Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM). Our aim is to connect research and education on social and organisational psychology with the practice of monitoring. (see this Utrecht University news item in Dutch).