Risk,Ambiguity,and Information Use in an Ethical Decision Dilemma

Abstract

We used the situational context of purported unethical organizational behavior to examine the impact of risk to self, risk to society, and cue ambiguity on information search strategies and ultimate decision. Participants completed eight experimental scenarios using a web-based interface. They read each scenario stem and accessed information until they could make a decision about whether or not to ‘blow the whistle’ on the organization. Significant effects on number of same-type cue boxes accessed were found for ambiguity and risk to society levels. Risk to self and risk to society impacted participants' likelihood of reporting the scenario incident. A significant risk to self by risk to society interaction suggested that low risk to self enhanced willingness to report incidents especially when risk to society was high. Results suggest that individuals will respond to this type of risky situation by a) trying to be more sure of the situation, and b) focusing more on risks to others than to themselves. Implications are discussed.

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