Perceptions of Ethical Misconduct Scale Development

Abstract

Despite ethical programs, employees may still engage in unethical behavior. As such, organizational researchers have sought to examine why employees engage in ethical/unethical behavior and whether interventions can improve ethical misconduct. Traditional instruments measure moral development or ethical/unethical behaviors towards the organization. This study aims to validate a unique measurement option by evaluating perceptions of ethical misconduct (PEMS). Archival data from Kansas State University, Middle Tennessee State University, and recruits from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTURK) were used in the analyses. An exploratory factor analyses was used to reduce the PEMS from the original 60 items to 16 items. A subsequent confirmatory analysis demonstrated good model fit of a one factor model. To examine the validity of the scale, the PEMS was correlated to scales which measured Dark Triad traits, the Dirty Dozen (DD), and counterproductive work behaviors, the Interpersonal and Organization Deviance Scale (IODS). Findings showed a significant positive correlation between the PEMS and both scales.