Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the nature and extent to which cultural differences bear on perceptions of ethical Organizational Development consulting behaviors. U.S. (n=118) and Taiwanese (n=267) business students evaluated eleven vignettes depicting potential ethical dilemmas. Respondents judged the ethicality of each vignette, the likelihood of the event's occurrence and the party responsible for the event's occurrence. Multivariate Analyses of Variance revealed significant cultural differences in perceptions of ethicality, and group differences in perceptions of the events' likelihood of occurrence. U.S. subjects provided higher ethicality ratings than the Taiwanese, and lower ratings on the likelihood of occurrence. Response distributions resulting from the identification of the responsible party were similar for six of the eleven vignettes. When differences did occur, it appeared that the Taiwanese were more inclined than the U.S. subjects to view responsibility as shared by the client and the consultant. The results suggest the need for the incorporation of cultural differences in a code of ethics for the profession and the need for cross-cultural ethics training for partitioners.
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Louis P. White is Associate Professor of Management at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. His articles have appeared in theAcademy of Management Review, theTraining and Developing Journal, Gaming and Simulation, andHuman Relations. He is also the author ofProfessional Ethics and Practice in Organizational Development (with Kevin C. Wooten), Dr. White received his Ph.D. in Industrial Psychology.
Melanie J. Rhodeback is an active Human Resource Management consultant, writer and speaker, and the owner of Rhodeback & Associates, a firm specializing in data analytic strategies to improve management decision making. Her research and consulting interests include the assessment of attitudes, values, ethics, and equity. Dr. Rhodeback serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Houston-Clear Lake in the School of Business and the School of Human Sciences & Humanities.
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White, L.P., Rhodeback, M.J. Ethical dilemmas in organization development: A cross-cultural analysis. J Bus Ethics 11, 663–670 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01686346
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01686346