The Ethical Executive
Becoming Aware of the Root Causes of Unethical Behavior: 45 Psychological Traps that Every One of Us Falls Prey To
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this book, Hoyk and Hersey describe 45 "unethical traps" into which any one of us can fall. These traps, they say, can erupt in any organizational environment. Some of these traps distort our perception of right and wrong—so we actually believe our unethical behavior is right. Many of them are psychological in nature, and if we are not aware of them they are like illusions—webs of deception. In the authors' analysis, these traps significantly contributed to the large-scale corporate disasters we witnessed in recent years.
Hoyk and Hersey take account of these realities and offer a "real-world" method that will predict, preclude, and, if necessary, "get us out of" these traps. Given the increased scrutiny under which all executives and mangers operate today, this book is a 'must read' for anyone who is charged with achieving an organization's mission—whether that mission is increasing profit, serving the common good, or both.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Examining the headline-making moral lapses at Enron, Tyco International, Adelphia, World Com and other less-than-ethical business locales in the light of numerous psychological experiments, clinical psychologist Hoyk and professor Hersey illustrate in 45 breezy but beneficial lessons how we all face and fall victim to "day-to-day ethical traps." Divided into three types, the first batch are "Primary Traps" that can "provoke us or trick us into illegal or unethical transgressions"; trap number one, "obedience to authority," is illustrated by the WorldCom controller who obeyed his CFO's order to hide $800 million in expenses, and Stanley Milgram's famous 1960 experiment in which student volunteers were told to administer seemingly dangerous electrical shocks to others. Next are "Defensive Traps," which allow us to "sidestep our guilt and shame," like "contempt for the victim" (Salomon Brothers traders treating customers like moving targets) and "self serving bias" (Ford and Firestone blaming each other for tire safety issues). Third is "Personality Traps," the ways we increase our vulnerability: "low self esteem," "need for closure," too much or too little empathy. As the authors note, "good intentions are not enough," and this guide provides a useful, easy-to-read antidote for our unwitting corruptibility.
