How Moral Character Shapes Workplace Behavior | Prof. Taya R. Cohen

In this Business Talk Podcast episode, host Deepak Bhatt interviewed Professor Taya Cohen from Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. The episode focused on her research on "Moral Character: Having a Conscience at Work."

Key Research Frameworks

The Character Lens Framework

Professor Cohen explained her character lens framework, which suggests that people with stronger moral character literally see situations differently. She described moral character as an aspect of individuals that shapes how they think, feel, and behave, reflecting who they are. People with higher moral character are more sensitive to how their actions affect others and potential harms, maintaining their ethical considerations even under pressure.

Three Dimensions of Moral Character

Professor Cohen identified three central dimensions of moral character in her research:

· Honesty-Humility: A broad dimension of personality that encompasses tendencies toward sincerity, avoiding exploitation of others, and general benevolence. It predicts important behaviors like workplace ethics and cooperation.

· Guilt-Proneness: Having an internal sense of right and wrong, feeling bad about one's behavior when doing something wrong even if no one knows about it. This is associated with a strong sense of personal responsibility.

· Moral Identity Centrality: The extent to which morality is important to how one sees oneself. This identity element influences how people respond when their self-image as a moral person is threatened.

Watch Podcast: How Moral Character Shapes Workplace Behavior | Prof. Taya R. Cohen

Measuring Guilt-Proneness

Professor Cohen discussed the development of measurement tools for guilt-proneness:

· The GASP (Guilt and Shame Proneness Scale) - Separates negative behavior evaluations, negative self-evaluations, and behavioral orientations toward repair versus withdrawal

· The GP5 (5-item guilt-proneness scale) - A shortened version focusing specifically on guilt-proneness for ethical decision-making research

She emphasized the distinction between guilt (feeling bad about behavior) and shame (feeling bad about oneself), noting that guilt-proneness is more associated with ethical behavior and interpersonal responsibility.

Research Applications and Findings

Predicting Ethical Behavior

Professor Cohen described a 3-month diary study with 1,500 employees that found moral character traits predicted workplace behaviors. Employees with lower levels of guilt-proneness, honesty-humility, and moral identity engaged in more workplace deviance behaviors, while those with higher levels engaged in fewer such behaviors. These findings were corroborated by co-worker reports.

Resilience in Ethical Decision-Making

Her research found that individuals high in moral character maintained moral recognition even under pressure to ignore ethical considerations. People with higher moral character are better able to maintain moral awareness when faced with competing priorities, recognizing ethical implications even when others might experience "ethical fading" where ethical considerations get pushed to the background.

Honesty Beyond Absence of Lying

Professor Cohen discussed her framework for honest behavior, which expanded beyond the absence of lying to include fostering accurate understanding in others. This dyadic model incorporates both the communicator's perspective (content truthfulness) and the recipient's understanding. She emphasized the importance of intellectual honesty, fact-checking, and the responsibility of both communicators and recipients in promoting truth.

Overestimating Negative Consequences of Honesty

In a study where participants were instructed to be honest in all conversations for three days, Professor Cohen found that people often overestimate the negative consequences of being honest. While participants expected honesty to damage relationships and cause conflict, it often strengthened relationships and built trust in unexpected ways. This finding has implications for feedback conversations, where communicators tend to focus on short-term awkwardness rather than long-term benefits.

Organizational Applications

Moral Beacons and Ethical Culture

Professor Cohen discussed how organizations could strategically position "moral beacons" - individuals who embody desired ethical values - to shape organizational culture. She emphasized that these individuals need to be visible and connected within the organization's networks to effectively influence norms and expectations.

Promoting Speak-Up Culture

She advocated for promoting a "speak-up" culture over a "call-out" culture, focusing on encouraging people to have difficult conversations while emphasizing guilt-proneness (behavior-focused) over shame-inducing character attacks. She highlighted the importance of teaching skills for engaging in honest conversations, such as asking questions and addressing issues constructively.

Character Assessment in High-Stakes Settings

Professor Cohen shared her work on assessing moral character traits in high-stakes contexts like the Department of Energy's Human Reliability Program. She discussed the potential for using moral character assessments in hiring and promotion decisions, while acknowledging the challenges of adapting research measures to settings where applicants are motivated to present themselves positively.

Conclusion

The interview concluded with Professor Cohen suggesting that a combination of moral character, guilt-proneness, and effective communication skills, supported by leaders, could help prevent ethical problems and organizational scandals. She emphasized the importance of personal responsibility in preventing unethical behavior and the value of developing skills for having difficult but necessary conversations.

Quick recap

In this episode of the Business Talk Podcast, Professor Taya Kohen discussed her research on ethical behavior and moral character in the workplace, including frameworks for understanding honesty, guilt-proneness, and moral identity. She explained how these factors influence individuals' decision-making processes and their ability to maintain ethical standards even under pressure, while also discussing the development of tools like the GASP scale for measuring guilt and shame proneness. The conversation covered practical applications of her research, including the potential use of moral character assessments in organizational settings and the importance of promoting a culture that encourages honest communication and ethical leadership.