• Planning of Study

• Participant Recruitment & Selection

• Study Execution

• Reporting of Results

• Enforcing Ethics

Ethics in HR research

• Competence to conduct research• Researcher’s skills & expertise

• Familiarity with ethical guidelines

• Sound research design• Based on theory & previous research, use

appropriate methods & applicable samples

• Ethical acceptability of study• Cost vs. benefits of study• Costs of not conducting study

Ethics in Planning

• Using subject pools • Employees• Employee beliefs re: effects of and confidentiality

of non-participation• E.g., Absenteeism study

• Implications of organizational consent for employee consent• Appropriate language

• E.g., Latino immigrants’ study; Absenteeism study

Ethics in Participant Recruitment & Selection

• Using subject pools • University students• Issues w/losing vs. gaining credit, student beliefs• Minors in universities

• Parental consent • Language

Ethics in Participant Recruitment & Selection

• Volunteers• Recruitment strategies• Highlight importance of research• Make non-threatening request for participation• Offer small gift for participation

– Feedback report w/findings & recommendations

• Avoid stressful tasks• Assure anonymity & confidentiality

Ethics in Participant Recruitment & Selection

• Volunteers• Identify issues of concern when studying

exploited groups• Danger of potentially harmful results

• E.g., diversity studies; Latino immigrants study

• Excessive & coercive incentives • SES of participants; willingness to undergo

considerable risk

Ethics in Participant Recruitment & Selection

• Planning of Study

• Participant Recruitment & Selection

• Study Execution

• Reporting of Results

• Enforcing Ethics

Ethics in HR research

• Informed consent

• Privacy

• Confidentiality

• Deception

• Debriefing

• Special issues in HR/IR/IO research

Ethics in Study Execution

• Study Description • Purpose• What is expected of participants • E.g., amt of time taken, type of tasks to be completed

• Importance of study• Can increase participants’ motivation to be honest

• Relevant info to make decision about participation• Need not reveal study hypotheses

Ethics in Study ExecutionInformed Consent

• Right to decline or withdraw at any time without negative consequences

• E.g., students, employment status of participant

• Consequences of withdrawing before completing study

• E.g., effect on payment

Ethics in Study ExecutionInformed Consent

• List of risks• Stress, anxiety etc.

• List of benefits• Scientific knowledge, report w/findings & recommendations

• Steps taken to preserve confidentiality and/or anonymity • Promotes participation & honest responses (see p. 41)

• Answer additional questions• Provide contact info for questions, concerns,

report summary

Ethics in Study ExecutionInformed Consent

• When not to use signed consent• Situations w/behavioral consent• Provide Study Information Sheet w/same info

• E.g., Mail surveys study

• When signed consent harms participants• E.g., Immigrant study

Ethics in Study ExecutionInformed Consent

• Issues w/Experimental Research• Participants’ do not have choice in

assignment to experimental vs. control condition• Ensures against sampling bias• Not available w/field correlational study

Ethics in Study ExecutionInformed Consent

• Issues w/Qualitative Research• Participant observation• Being unobtrusive vs. reminding participants that

they are being observed• Observation can change nature of phenomenon • Hidden observation

• Public vs. private domain

• Archival/Trace measures• Permission from participant vs. custodian of data

Ethics in Study ExecutionInformed Consent

• Informed consent

• Privacy

• Confidentiality

• Deception

• Debriefing

• Special issues in HR/IR/IO research

Ethics in Study Execution

• Right to refuse/withdraw at any time

• Type of info requested from participants• Right to limit the amount & sensitivity of info

about themselves

• Violation of privacy• When participants are given unwanted info• Info is released to unauthorized parties• Info for decisions is withheld

Ethics in Study ExecutionPrivacy

• Data issues • Access to data, maintenance of records,

anonymity of participants, prevention of unauthorized disclosures

• Nature of HR archival research • e.g., absenteeism study

• Remove identifying info after coding • Balance b/w confidentiality and specificity of

feedback (Saks)

Ethics in Study ExecutionConfidentiality

• Issues w/Qualitative Studies• When verifying accuracy of participants’

statements• When documenting findings• When information that can do good to the

system is unearthed• When info that can harm another individual is

revealed

Ethics in Study ExecutionConfidentiality

• Email & internet surveys• Confidentiality• Secure transfer and storage of data via data

encryption technology & using passwords

• Informed consent • To determine participants’ understanding• Provide phone/email info or arrange for personal

meetings to answer qs

• Debriefing

Ethics in Study ExecutionConfidentiality

Saks, Aguinas & Henle

• Mislead, misinform, with-hold info, use confederates, produce false beliefs or assumptions

• Used when alternatives are not feasible or appropriate

• Demonstrate that value of deception outweighs harm to participants

• Usually used in experimental studies

Ethics in Study ExecutionDeception

• Consent form indicates possible use of deceptive procedures in study

• Indicates physical/psychological harm or other conditions that may change willingness to participate

• Debrief participants after study• About the nature and cause of deception• Take steps to undo harm/mistrust

Ethics in Study ExecutionDeception

• Benefit of participation via scientific knowledge

• Purpose of research• Info about previous research• How current study adds to knowledge• Info about design, procedures• Application of results to org’n settings• Importance of research

• Obtain participant opinions about study and reasons for their responses

Ethics in Study ExecutionDebriefing

• Preserve participants feelings of • Time well spent• Dignity

• Remove effects of deception• Dehoaxing=explain deception, remove

misinformation, alleviate negative feelings

• Desensitize• Help participants deal w/new self insights as a result

of responses in study or due to participation in study (e.g., anger toward confederate etc.)• Discuss Normality of reactions

Ethics in Study ExecutionDebriefing

• Informed consent

• Privacy

• Confidentiality

• Deception

• Debriefing

• Special issues in HR/IR/IO research

Ethics in Study Execution

• Conflicts in ethics of researchers and org’n stakeholders• Researchers’ obligation to ensure well-being

of participants

• Perception that participation is part of the job• Implications for informed consent,

confidentiality, anonymity, privacy

Ethics in Study ExecutionSpecial Issues in HR/IR/IO

• Right to beneficial treatments • Use lottery to assign to control vs.

experimental groups • Implement interventions in stages• Spatially separate groups

• Qualitative Data• Nature & quality of data produced can be

shaped by researcher’s assumptions

Ethics in Study ExecutionSpecial Issues in HR/IR/IO

Saks

• Informed consent

• Privacy

• Confidentiality

• Deception

• Debriefing

• Special issues in HR/IR/IO research

Ethics in Study Execution

• Planning of Study

• Participant Recruitment & Selection

• Study Execution

• Reporting of Results

• Enforcing Ethics

Ethics in HR research

• Misrepresenting• Falsification/omission• Recording data w/out being blind to hypotheses• Errors in data analyses/entry

• Effect on future research

• Censoring• Org’n is negatively portrayed• E.g., management study

• Contradiction of previous research or hypotheses

Ethics in Reporting of Results

• Plagiarism & authorship credit• Not giving credit for another’s ideas• Using another’s work w/out citing• Passing off another’s work as one’s own• Self-plagiarism

• Data Sharing• Verify reported findings

Ethics in Reporting of Results

• Misconduct• Pressure to reject null hypothesis• Pressure for desirable findings• E.g., Validate interventions

• Trimming=Removing outliers, dropping data• Cooking=Altering data• Forging=Making up data• Implications for literature base

Enforcing Ethics

• Preventing misconduct• Familiarize oneself w/APA ethics code• Institute IRBs to assess potential risks• Minimize risks, benefits outweigh risks to

participants, participants are fairly selected, informed consent is obtained & documented• Exemption from IRB, expedited review

• Replicate research• Peer review of research

Enforcing Ethics

• Planning of Study

• Participant Recruitment & Selection

• Study Execution

• Reporting of Results

• Enforcing Ethics

Ethics in HR research