“Psychological research has proven again and again that anonymity increases unethical behavior. Road rage bubbles up in the relative anonymity of one's car. And in the online world, which can offer total anonymity, the effect is even more pronounced. People -- even ordinary, good people -- often change their behavior in radical ways. There's even a term for it: the online disinhibition effect.”
The author advocates the removal of anonymity as the solution to the problem. At Facebook, real names and photos are posted next to online comments and the author advocates the widespread adoption of this convention by all online content providers.
The article resonated with me because I wondered if this phenomenon also helps explain why otherwise ethical individuals commit unethical acts at work. From falsifying financial accounts, to polluting rivers, to operating unsafe manufacturing plants, to misrepresentative product ads, there are plenty of examples of corporate actions committed by individuals that none of us would do at home or in our communities. The answer may be because at work people represent their organizations rather than themselves, because the blame for a poor decision is often difficult to assign retrospectively (when everyone is fighting to avoid being blamed), and because society does such a poor job of holding individuals to account for errors (accidental or criminal) committed by firms.
A degree of moral hazard enters the decision making process as a result. While individuals are rewarded for their behavior if they can get away with it (e.g., decreasing costs by avoiding crisis prevention planning for the rare eventuality), they are rarely held to full account if the “once-in-a-lifetime” disaster occurs.
Apart from Tony Hayward, can anyone name another individual at BP who has been held in any way responsible for the Gulf oil spill? Can anyone name anyone who has been held legally responsible?
Take care
David
Instructor Teaching Site: http://www.sagepub.com/strategiccsr/
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Where Anonymity Breeds Contempt
By JULIE ZHUO
1089 words
30 November 2010
The New York Times
Late Edition - Final
31
