Collective Identity: Ethics and Self- Identifications

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1 Collective Identity: Ethics and Self- Identifications Mike Kallens, Associate General Counsel and Manager of Corporate Ethics and Compliance, Booz Allen Hamilton Skip Lowney, Senior Researcher, ECI Sept. 30, 2015

About the Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI) Leading the Movement for Responsible Organizations New ideas grounded in research Best practice

2 About the Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI) Leading the Movement for Responsible Organizations New ideas grounded in research Best practice community Education and certification Comprised of: Ethics Research Center (ERC) Ethics & Compliance Association Ethics & Compliance Certification Institute 2

3 Booz Allen Hamilton: Company Profile Established in 1914 by Edwin Booz Public company traded on the NYSE: BAH Provides management and technology consulting and engineering services to leading Fortune 500 corporations, governments, and not-for-profits across the globe Over 22,500 employees $5.27B annual revenue for the 12 months ended March 31, 2015 Single profit and loss structure Three Primary Operating Groups Opinions and views expressed by the presenter are his personal opinion and do not constitute the position or policy of Booz Allen Hamilton. 3

4 AN INTRODUCTION TO COLLECTIVE IDENTITY

5 Defining Collective Identity While the term Collective Identity is emergent, most agree that it is: a self-defining categorical membership shared with a group of others who have some characteristic(s) in common It is an internal, cognitive, and emotional connection with others It is located in action, and informs the way individuals act and interact with others Aspects of identity In CI, there is a sense of we and others CI is maintained through experiences The cognitive aspect of CI might be thought of as process; while action is product Contextual Multiple identities exist, including: Personal, Social, and Relational Degree of attachment to identities and consequent actions shift depending upon situations, loyalties, the individuals involved, and over time 5

6 Defining Organizational Identity Organizational Identity is: Who are we as an organization? Employees identification with the organization: Attributes include: values of, goals of, beliefs about, characteristics of, and knowledge and capabilities of Conceived of through roles: Occupational and career identification Constructed through dynamic interplay between individual and organization Relational aspect to others Team, workgroup, and subunit identification Leads to outcomes Behavior is a probabilistic outcome, not a given 6

7 Benefits of a Strong Identification to Organization From Identification in Organizations Outcomes of building identities Self-enhancement Self-knowledge Self-expression self-coherence Self-continuity Self-distinctiveness Satisfy basic human needs Safety, affiliation, and meaning (uncertainty reduction) Some organizational outcomes: Cooperation, effort, participation, organizationally beneficial decision-making, intrinsic motivation, performance, and information sharing and coordinated action Turnover and turnover intentions, job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, improved processes in teams, creativity, social support, customer service 7

8 Potential Harms of Strong Identification From research - Organizational manifestations: Conflicts between multiple identities within an organization Anti-social behavior arising from threats to an employee s identity(ies) The hindrance of shared cognition to the detriment of higher-level or group performance Formation of and attachment to harmful identities Resistance to change / Less effectiveness and creativity Unethical decisions/actions so as to preserve identity(ies) 8

9 COLLECTIVE IDENTITY STUDY

10 About the Collective Identity Study Independent Research Sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton Data for report was collected as part of ERC s 2013 National Business Ethics Survey (NBES ) Data collected September through November, 2013 Responses from 6,420 private sector workers. Participants were 18 years of age or older, employed at least 20 hours per week for primary employer, and working for a company with two or more people. Methodology Random selection Online and phone (cell, landline) surveys Data were weighted by age, gender, education, phone type (cell/landline), survey mode (phone/online), and company size Sampling error is +/- 1.2 percent at the 95 percent confidence level Ashforth, Blake E., Spencer H. Harrison, & Kevin G. Corley. (June 2008). Identification in Organizations: An Examination of Four Fundamental Questions, Journal of Management Vol. 34 No. 3 (pp ). Southern Management Association. Ashmore, R. D., Deaux, K., & McLaughlin-Volpe, T. (2004). An Organizing Framework for Collective Identity: Articulation and Significance of Multidimensionality. Psychological Bulletin, 130 (1), (pp ). American Psychological Association, Inc. Flesher Fominaya, Cristina. (2010). Collective Identity in Social Movements: Central Concepts and Debates, Sociology Compass 4/6 (pp ). Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 10

11 Research Objectives The study looked at the ethics outcomes based on employees connectivity to their companies as expressed through their identities. The levels of connectivity were compared in respect to views of company leadership, company ethics culture, the effectiveness of ethics programs, and ethics risk (rates of pressure, misconduct, retaliation and reporting behaviors). Two questions were considered: What are the salient factors of identity and what is their relative importance to employees? Is the degree of connectivity related to ethics dimensions, including: ethics and compliance programs, ethics culture, and ethics outcomes? Ultimately, how might organizations use this concept in their efforts to produce ethical workplaces? 11

12 Measures of Identity Fitting in Is Most Important : Outside Criticism Is Least Important 100% 80% 60% 85% 81% 81% 81% 80% 79% 74% 65% 62% 54% 40% 20% 0% I Fit In Co. Not Full of Misconduct I Am Typical Employee My Co. I Give Above Contribues to & Beyond Society I'm Proud to Work at Co. My & Co. Values Align Co. Does Not Make Embarrassing Decisions Co. Is Important Part of My Identity I Take Neg. Press Personally 12 12

13 Levels of Connectivity Most Employees Are Strongly or Moderately Connected 13 13

14 Percent in Agreement Views of Leadership Moderately Connected Are More Skeptical of Top Management 100% 92% 92% 91% 90% 88% 80% 60% 59% 76% 64% 77% 58% 68% 80% 40% 20% 0% Top Mgmt Supervisor Top Mgmt Supervisor Top Mgmt Supervisor Listens to Employees Conducts Personal Life Ethically Considers Ethics in Business Decisions Moderately Connected Strongly Connected 14 14

15 Percent in Agreement Demographics of Connection Connection is Stronger Among Employees in Leadership Positions 100% 94% 80% 78% 58% 48% 80% 66% 62% 0% My Company is an Important Part of Identity My Personal Values Align with My Company's Top Management Middle Management First-line Supervisor Non-management Employee 15 15

16 Ethics Cultures Matter Connection is Stronger in Strong Ethics Cultures 100% 14% 61% Strongly Connected 83% Moderately Connected 38% Not Very Connected or Not At All Connected 0% 4% 0.2% Weak or Weak- Leaning Strong or Strong- Leaning Culture Strength 16 16

17 Connection Matters Strongly Connected Employees Are Less Vulnerable in Ethical Situations Company Retaliates Against Reporters 5% 16% Employees Can Question Mgmt Without Fear of Retaliation 56% 95% Employees Feel Prepared to Handle Ethical Situations 77% 98% 0% 100% Moderately Connected Strongly Connected 17 17

18 Percent in Agreement Connection Matters Distrust and Fear Discourage Moderately Connected Employees from Reporting 75% 65% 50% 53% 31% 34% 36% 17% 8% 0% Did Not Believe Action Would Be Taken Did Not Trust Report Kept Confidential Feared Management Retaliation Feared Supervisor Retaliation Reasons for Not Reporting Moderately Connected Strongly Connected 18 18

19 Connection and Ethics & Compliance Programs Connected Employees Perceive Effective Programs 100% 9% 36% Effective Program 83% Moderately* Effective Program 64% Ineffective** Program or No Program 0% 8% Moderately Connected Connectivity 1% Strongly Connected 19

20 Percent in Agreement Ethics Outcomes More Favorable Ethics Outcomes with Effective E&C Programs 100% 88% 70% 69% 0% 26% 11% Felt Pressure 2% 50% 31% Observed Misconduct 37% Reported Misconduct 41% 20% 4% Experienced Retaliation Ineffective Program or No Program Moderately Effective Program Effective Program 20

21 Ethics Performance Ethics Outcomes Comparing Ethics Outcomes Moderate Connectivity Strong Connectivity NBES 2013* Felt Pressure to Compromise Standards 9% 1% 9% Observed Misconduct in Previous 12 Mos. 52% 29% 44% ** Reported Misconduct When Observed 75% 86% 63% Reporters Who Experienced Retaliation 20% 18% 21% Note: Italics indicate that the difference between connectivity levels IS a significant difference. 21

22 Percent in Agreement Percent in Agreement Where Connection Does Not Matter In Hypothetical Situations, Strongly and Moderately Connected Employees Intend to Do the Ethically Right Thing 100% 100% 90% 97% 50% 50% 22% 16% 0% Would Look the Other Way 0% Would Report in Future Moderately connected Strongly connected Moderately connected Strongly connected 22

23 RECOMMENDATIONS AND DISCUSSION

24 Conclusion and Recommendations The Benefits of Strong Identities Outweigh the Harms, but the Harms Can Be Catastrophic Recommendations Create a Values-based organization built on ethical principles Strengthen ethics cultures Help supervisors identify ways to enhance connectivity within their teams and integrate identities with those of the company at large Recognize and reward ethical behaviors that encourage connectivity Listen to employees at all levels, including the lesser connected, for indications of emerging challenges in the workplace Be especially attentive to changes and work to ease transitions Additional thoughts on applying this concept in an organization 24

skip@ethics.org www.ethics.org 703-647-2185 (Arlington, Va.

25 (Arlington, Va.) (Waltham, Mass.)

26 Booz Allen Hamilton has been at the forefront of strategy and technology for more than 100 years. Today, the firm provides management and technology consulting and engineering services to leading Fortune 500 corporations, governments, and not-for-profits across the globe. Booz Allen partners with public and private sector clients to solve their most difficult challenges through a combination of consulting, analytics, mission operations, technology, systems delivery, cybersecurity, engineering, and innovation expertise. With international headquarters in McLean, Virginia, the firm employs more than 22,500 people globally, and had revenue of $5.27 billion for the 12 months ended March 31, Kallens_Michael@bah.com Greensboro Drive McLean, Virginia 22101

BUILDING COMPANIES WHERE VALUES AND ETHICAL CONDUCT MATTER ETHICS SURVEY TM GLOBAL BUSINESS USING COMMUNICATION AND TRUST TO STRENGTHEN YOUR WORKPLACE

BUILDING COMPANIES WHERE VALUES AND ETHICAL CONDUCT MATTER USING COMMUNICATION AND TRUST TO STRENGTHEN YOUR WORKPLACE OCTOBER 2018 GLOBAL BUSINESS ETHICS SURVEY TM This report is published by the Ethics