Download pdf - In It to Win: Jack & Rationalizations - Ethics Unwrapped...2013/08/05 · Teaching Notes for In It to Win: Jack & Rationalizations - Page 3 of 4 6) Dan Ariely and colleagues ran an

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InIttoWin:Jack&RationalizationsThisvideointroducestheconceptofrationalizationsinthecontextofthestoryofformerlobbyistandconvictedfelonJackAbramoff.DuringtheBushAdministration,AbramoffwasthemostinfluentiallobbyistinWashington,D.C.HewasalsoatthecenterofoneofthemostsignificantpoliticalscandalssinceWatergate.Rationalizationsaretheexcuseswegiveourselvesfornotlivinguptoourownethicalstandards.Ifthereisoneoverarchingfindinginbehavioralethicsresearchinthepastdecade,itisthatpeopletendtosimultaneouslythinkofthemselvesasgoodpeopleandyetliealittleandcheatalittlealmosteveryday.Indeed,mostwhite-collarcriminals,atthetimetheyarecommittingtheircrimes,donotthinktheyaredoinganythingwrong.Evenafterbeingconvictedinacourtoflaw,somestillhavedifficultyadmittingtothemselvesthattheyscrewedup.Rationalizationsareoneofthemajorfacilitatorsofunethicalbehaviorbecausetheyallowustoactunethically,butstilltellourselvesthatwhatwearedoingisokay.AsLubanpointedout:“Insituationaftersituation,literallyhundredsofexperimentsrevealthatwhenourconductclasheswithourpriorbeliefs,ourbeliefsswingintoconformitywithourconduct,withoutournoticingthatthisisgoingon.”Forexample,wemayrealizethatinsidertradingiswrong.Butifwearegivenanopportunitytoengageininsidertrading,makealotofmoney,andprobablynotgetcaught,allofasuddenwewillprobablyviewinsidertradingasnotasbadaswehadpreviouslythoughtitwas.Andwewon’tevennoticeour“everybodydoesit”rationalization.Usuallywhathappens,pointsourDeWaal,isthatweseesomethingwereallywant(lotsofmoney,forexample),ourmindintuitivelydecidesthatitisokayforustodowhatwehavetodotogetthatmoney(engageininsidertrading,forexample),andthenthecognitivepartofourbrainkicksintorationalizethe(un)ethicalconclusionwehavealreadyreached.

TolearnaboutthesixcategoriesofrationalizationsdescribedbyAnand,Ashforth,andJoshiintheirarticleidentifyingthemostcommonrationalizationsusedinbusiness,watchBeingYourBestSelf,Part3:MoralIntent.Thesixcategoriesofrationalizationsare:

• Denialofresponsibility(“IknowIshouldn’tdothis,butmybossismakingme,soit’snotreallymyfault.”)

• Denialofinjury(“IknowthatIshouldn’tdothis,butwho’sreallybeinghurt?”)• Denialofvictim(“IknowthatIshouldn’tdothis,butthisguyissostupidthathedeservestoget

rippedoff.”• Socialweighing(“IknowthatIshouldn’tdothis,butmycompetitorsaredoingevenworse

stuff.”)


• Appealtohigherloyalty(“IknowthatIshouldn’tdothis,butIhaveafamilytofeed.”)• Metaphoroftheledger(“IknowthatIshouldn’tdothis,butIgivealotofmoneytocharity.”

Formoredetailsandexamplesofrationalizations,watchGVVPillar7:Reasons&Rationalizations.Tounderstandhowcognitivebiasesmayaffectourbehaviorinwayssimilartorationalization,watchMoralEquilibriumandSelf-servingBias.Tolearnmoreabouttheprocessofmakingethicaldecisions,watchBeingYourBestSelf,Part2:MoralDecisionMakingandSystematicMoralAnalysis.Thekindsofdecision-makingerrorsthatarethesubjectofJack&Rationalizationsandtheotherfiveshortsinthisvideocasearethefocusofafieldofstudyknownasbehavioralethics,whichdrawsuponpsychology,cognitivescience,evolutionarybiology,andrelateddisciplinestodeterminehowandwhypeoplemaketheethicalandunethicaldecisionsthattheydo.ThisvideodrawsfromfootageshotatTheUniversityofTexasatAustinwhenAbramoffvisitedcampustotalkabouthislifeandcorruptlobbyinginWashington,D.C.Itispartofavideocasethatincludesa25-minutedocumentary,InIttoWin:TheJackAbramoffStory,sixshortvideosthatfocusonspecificbehavioralethicsbiasesillustratedbyAbramoff’sstory,andawrittencasestudy.Thedocumentaryexposespersonalandsystemicethicalconcernsingovernmentandillustrateshowwellintentionedpeoplecanmakeseriousethicalerrors—andevencommitcrimes.TolearnmoreaboutAbramoff’sownrationalizationsandthescandalthatendedhislobbyingcareer,readthecasestudyonthispage.Foracasestudyonrationalizationsandsystematicmoralanalysis,read“PardoningNixon,”whichexamineshowFordmadethecontroversialdecisiontoissueNixonafullpardonafterNixonresignedfromthepresidency.Foranexampleofrationalizationsandmoralreasoning,read“RetractingResearch:TheCaseofChandokv.Klessig,”inwhicharesearchermakesthedifficultdecisiontoretractanarticlepublishedinapeer-reviewedjournalaftertheresultsoftheoriginalresearchcannotbereproduced.Termsrelatedtothisshortvideoanddefinedinourethicsglossaryinclude:behavioralethics,fundamentalattributionerror,moralemotions,moralequilibrium,moralreasoning,rationalizations,self-servingbias,andutilitarianism.

DiscussionQuestionsforJack&Rationalizations

1) Canyouexplaininyourownwordshowrationalizationsworktofacilitateunethicalactivity?

2) Canyougiveexamplesofcommonrationalizationsthatareusedinthebusinessworld?

3) CanyougiveexamplesofrationalizationsthatJackAbramoffused?

4) Canyouthinkofsituationswhereyouhaveusedrationalizations?

5) Howcanweguardagainstrationalizingourownwrongdoing?


6) DanArielyandcolleaguesrananexperimentwhereaclerkgavetoomuchchangetothesubjectoftheexperiment.Ingeneral45%ofthesubjectsreturnedtheextrachange.However,whenArielyhadtheclerkannoythesubjectbyrudelyignoringthemforjustabit,only14%returnedtheextrachange.Howmighttherationalizationprocesshaveplayedaroleintheoutcomeoftheseexperiments?

7) MurphyandMayhewranastudyinwhichtheylearnedthatwhenpeoplemisreportnumberstheygenerallyfeelbad,buttheydon’tfeelasbadiftheywereinstructedtodosobysuperiors.Howmighttherationalizationprocessplayaroleinthisoutcome?

AdditionalResourcesBooksandarticlesaboutrationalizationinclude:

Anand,Vikas,BlakeE.Ashforth,andMahendraJoshi.2004.“BusinessasUsual:TheAcceptanceandPerpetuationofCorruptioninOrganizations.”AcademyofManagementPerspectives18(2):39-53.

Ariely,Dan.2012.The(Honest)TruthAboutDishonesty:HowWeLietoEveryone—EspeciallyOurselves.NewYork:HarperCollinsPublishers.

deWaal,Frans.2013.TheBonoboandtheAthetist:InSearchofHumanismAmongthePrimates.NewYork:W.W.Norton&Company.

Luban,David.2006.“MakingSenseofMoralMeltdowns.”InMoralLeadership:TheTheoryandPracticeofPower,Judgment,andPolicy,editedbyDeborahL.Rhode,57-76.SanFrancisco,CA:Jossey-Bass.

Mayhew,BrianW.,andPamelaR.Murphy.2014.“TheImpactofAuthorityonReportingBehavior,RationalizationandAffect.”ContemporaryAccountingResearch31(2):420-443.

BooksaboutthelobbyingscandalincludeJackAbramoff’sownaccount,“CapitolPunishment:TheHardTruthAboutWashingtonCorruptionfromAmerica’sMostNotoriousLobbyist”(WNDBooks,2011)andanexposéfromjournalistPeterH.Stone,“Heist:SuperlobbyistJackAbramoff,HisRepublicanAllies,andtheBuyingofWashington”(Farrar,StrausandGiroux,2006).Moviesaboutthescandalincludeadocumentary,CasinoJackandtheUnitedStatesofMoney(Dir.AlexGibney,2010),andadramatizationstarringKevinSpacey,CasinoJack(Dir.GeorgeHickenlooper,2010).ThelatestteachingresourcefromEthicsUnwrappedisanarticle,writtenbyCaraBiasucciandRobertPrentice,thatdescribesthebasicsofbehavioralethics,introducesthevideosandsupportingmaterialsalongwithteachingexamples,andincludesdataontheefficacyofEthicsUnwrappedforimprovingethicspedagogyacrossdisciplines.ItwaspublishedinJournalofBusinessLawandEthics


Pedagogy(Vol.1,August2018),andcanbedownloadedhere:“TeachingBehavioralEthics(Using“EthicsUnwrapped”VideosandEducationalMaterials).”

Formoreresourcesonteachingbehavioralethics,anarticlewrittenbyEthicsUnwrappedauthorsMinetteDrumwright,RobertPrentice,andCaraBiasucciintroduceskeyconceptsinbehavioralethicsandapproachestoeffectiveethicsinstruction—includingsampleclassroomassignments.Thearticle,publishedintheDecisionSciencesJournalofInnovativeEducation,maybedownloadedhere:“BehavioralEthicsandTeachingEthicalDecisionMaking.”AdetailedarticlebyRobertPrenticewithextensiveresourcesforteachingbehavioralethics,publishedinJournalofLegalStudiesEducation,maybedownloadedhere:“TeachingBehavioralEthics.”AnotherarticlebyRobertPrenticediscussinghowbehavioralethicscanimprovetheethicalityofhumandecision-making,publishedintheNotreDameJournalofLaw,Ethics&PublicPolicy,maybedownloadedhere:“BehavioralEthics:CanItHelpLawyers(AndOthers)BetheirBestSelves?”AdatedbutstillserviceableintroductoryarticleaboutteachingbehavioralethicscanbeaccessedthroughGoogleScholarbysearching:Prentice,RobertA.2004.“TeachingEthics,Heuristics,andBiases.”JournalofBusinessEthicsEducation1(1):57-74.