Self-Assessment – Chapter 3
AN ETHICAL BASELINE
This assessment uses three subscales combined into one instrument to show you how ethical you are. The research from which this inventory is drawn comes from J. E. Wanek, P.R. Sackett, & D.S. Ones, “Towards an Understanding of Integrity Test Similarities and Differences: An Item-Level Analysis of Seven Tests,” Personnel Psychology 56 (2003) 873-894.
Remember that people tend to think they are more ethical than they really are, so this instrument will probably reveal areas where you can improve your ethical outlook. Also remember that, like the IBM example in the chapter, there are many ways to make an ethical decision. The right thing to do can be easy when it is seemingly obvious, but more often than not, there will be nuances to ethical decisions you will make as a manager.
Scoring
Scoring instructions are included in the Self-Assessment Appendix at the end of the book. But here is what your raw score means:
The total inventory is comprised of three subscales that measure antisocial behavior, orderliness/diligence, and positive outlook. The range for the antisocial scale is 1 to 65, with an average score being 32. The range for orderliness and diligence is smaller, 1 to 20, with average scores falling around 10. And the range for positive outlook is 1-30, with an average at 15.
The themes of anti-social behavior are thoughts and admissions of theft, lack of self-control, unwillingness to abide by rules, and attitude toward wrong doing. People with higher scores are more likely to engage in unethical behavior at work.
Orderliness involves planning and organization. An orderly person has a place for everything and puts everything in its place. Diligence involves commitment and perseverance and is manifest in activities like working long hours and finishing what you start. Orderliness/diligence measures are akin to the conscientiousness component of personality that will be discussed in Chapter 12 on diversity. If you had a high score on the orderliness/diligence subscale, you will be less likely to engage in unethical behavior at work.
Positive outlook is just what it sounds like: do you view people as basically honest, supervisors as basically good, and the workplace as generally safe, or not? People with lower scores have a more negative outlook and are more likely to engage in unethical behaviors. People who score high on positive outlook are less likely to engage in unethical behavior.