TY - JOUR

T1 - The Effect of Implicit Moral Attitudes on Managerial Decision-Making

T2 - An Implicit Social Cognition Approach

AU - Marquardt, Nicki

AU - Höger, Rainer

PY - 2009/3/1

Y1 - 2009/3/1

N2 - This article concerns itself with the relationship between implicit moral cognitions and decisions in the realm of business ethics. Traditionally, business ethics research emphasized the effects of overt or explicit attitudes on ethical decision-making and neglected intuitive or implicit attitudes. Therefore, based on an implicit social cognition approach it is important to know whether implicit moral attitudes may have a substantial impact on managerial ethical decision-making processes. To test this thesis, a study with 50 participants was conducted. In this study the participants were asked to work on a deliberative managerial ethical decision-making task, in which they had to decide on one of two options. Implicit moral attitudes towards the two options were measured using the implicit association test (IAT). A semantic differential scale was used to diagnose explicit moral attitudes towards the two options. Each step taken within the deliberative decision-making process, as well the decision itself, was assessed using a scoring model-based decision analysis and a decision-making questionnaire. The results of this study show that implicit moral attitude has a great influence on the deliberative ethical decision-making process. The derived conclusion is that complex and deliberative decision-making processes in the context of business ethics can be affected by implicit social cognitions such as implicit moral attitudes.

AB - This article concerns itself with the relationship between implicit moral cognitions and decisions in the realm of business ethics. Traditionally, business ethics research emphasized the effects of overt or explicit attitudes on ethical decision-making and neglected intuitive or implicit attitudes. Therefore, based on an implicit social cognition approach it is important to know whether implicit moral attitudes may have a substantial impact on managerial ethical decision-making processes. To test this thesis, a study with 50 participants was conducted. In this study the participants were asked to work on a deliberative managerial ethical decision-making task, in which they had to decide on one of two options. Implicit moral attitudes towards the two options were measured using the implicit association test (IAT). A semantic differential scale was used to diagnose explicit moral attitudes towards the two options. Each step taken within the deliberative decision-making process, as well the decision itself, was assessed using a scoring model-based decision analysis and a decision-making questionnaire. The results of this study show that implicit moral attitude has a great influence on the deliberative ethical decision-making process. The derived conclusion is that complex and deliberative decision-making processes in the context of business ethics can be affected by implicit social cognitions such as implicit moral attitudes.

KW - Business psychology

KW - Business ethics

KW - Ethical decision-making

KW - Implicit association test (IAT)

KW - Implicit attitudes

KW - Implicit social cognition

KW - Mental processes

KW - Moral judgements

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-62649102376&origin=inward&txGid=0

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/46daa95a-874a-36f9-85a7-28807ac03d77/

U2 - 10.1007/s10551-008-9754-8

DO - 10.1007/s10551-008-9754-8

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 85

SP - 157

EP - 171

JO - Journal of Business Ethics

JF - Journal of Business Ethics

SN - 0167-4544

IS - 2

ER -