Macro Perspectives on Behavioral (Micro) Ethics

Micro-level behavioral research on ethical and unethical behavior within organizations flourished over the past decade, as scandals have hurt businesses’ bottom lines and undermined their legitimacy. While important antecedents of (un)ethical behavior have been identified, the field has devoted little attention to macro-level or meso-level influences on (un)ethical behavior. This is somewhat remarkable because the definition of (un)ethical behavior itself revolves around social structure (i.e., broadly accepted societal norms). This symposium will bring together researchers who draw on different macro-level or meso-level theories in their study of behavioral ethics phenomena. Specifically, panelists will discuss an institutional work perspective of unethical behavior, an actor network perspective on values, and a symbolic interactionist perspective on moral disengagement. The goal of this panel is to highlight the potential contribution of macro-perspectives in a field that is dominated by a micro-perspec...