Wage Cuts and Managers' Empathy: How a Positive Emotion Can Contribute to Positive Organizational Ethics in Difficult Times

Using the lens of positive organizational ethics, we theorized that empathy affects decisions in ethical dilemmas that concern the well-being of not only the organization but also other stakeholders. We hypothesized and found that empathetic managers were less likely to comply with requests by an authority figure to cut the wages of their employees than were non-empathetic managers. However, when an authority figure requested to hold wages constant, empathy did not affect wage cut decisions. These findings imply that empathy can serve as a safeguard for ethical decision making in organizations during trying times without generally undermining organizational effectiveness. We conclude by discussing the implications of our research

Nonverbal Social Sensing: What Social Sensing Can and Cannot Do for the Study of Nonverbal Behavior From Video

The study of nonverbal behavior (NVB), and in particular kinesics (i.e., face and body motions), is typically seen as cost-intensive. However, the development of new technologies (e.g., ubiquitous sensing, computer vision, and algorithms) and approaches to study social behavior [i.e., social signal processing (SSP)] makes it possible to train algorithms to automatically code NVB, from action/motion units to inferences. Nonverbal social sensing refers to the use of these technologies and approaches for the study of kinesics based on video recordings. Nonverbal social sensing appears as an inspiring and encouraging approach to study NVB at reduced costs, making it a more attractive research field. However, does this promise hold? After presenting what nonverbal social sensing is and can do, we discussed the key challenges that researchers face when using nonverbal social sensing on video data. Although nonverbal social sensing is a promising tool, researchers need to be aware of the fact that algorithms might be as biased as humans when extracting NVB or that the automated NVB coding might remain context-dependent. We provided study examples to discuss these challenges and point to potential solutions

Immersive virtual reality helps to promote pro-environmental norms, attitudes and behavioural strategies

Our study focuses on the promotion of sustainable actions that individuals can adopt at home. We tested the effectiveness of different formats of conducting promotional campaigns providing pro-environmental knowledge. Specifically, we assessed whether the same message delivered in print, in a video or in an immersive virtual environment, via a virtual human that resembles the participant or not, affects norms, attitudes and behavioural strategies in relation to energy saving gestures. Results revealed that receiving pro-environmental knowledge while being immersed in virtual reality led to greater energy saving attitudes and a different use of products and appliances at home as compared to receiving the same information via more traditional means. The present work aims to sensitise governmental and pro-environmental organisations about the effectiveness of using immersive virtual reality to conduct such campaigns

RECONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE PREJUDICE-DISCRIMINATION RELATIONSHIP AS AN ETHICAL PHENOMENON : THREE ESSAYS ON MORAL DISENGAGEMENT AND DISCRIMINATION

My reesearch focuses on the main question of "how can individuals still engage in disciminatory behavior in our society?" To answer this question, I reconceptualize the relationship between prejudice and discrimination from an intergroup approach to an ethical approach Prejudice is defined as an unethical attitude leading, if expressed, to an unfair treatment of a person or a group of persons, namely discrimination. This approach offers new insights to study the prejudice-discrimination relationship by drawing on literature on ethics. Particularly, I draw on the work from Bandura (1986, 1990) on the concept of moral disengagement. Moral disengagement is an individual difference in the way individuals justify their intended unethical behaviors to render them acceptable. This concept is composed of four dimensions representing the different behavioral expressions through which moral disengagement can operate within individuals (e.g., rejection of personal responsibility). In my research, I theorize moral disengagement as a moderator in the relationship between prejudice and discrimination such that it fosters the expression of prejudice by allowing individuals to mask the ethically questionable aspect of their discriminatory behavior through seemingly acceptable justifications. Specifically, I propose that, to be able to express their prejudice, individuals morally disengage through specific dimensions depending on the presence of justification factors (i.e., contextual and individual difference factors enhancing the expression of prejudice). I argue these factors to allow individuals to morally disengage and thus to discriminate by providing content for prejudice expression. In a first paper, I present the ethical approach of prejudice and discrimination, and present my propositions on the role of moral disengagement and justification factors in the prejudice-discrimination relationship. In a second paper, I develop a context-general and multi-dimensional measure of moral disengagement to test, in a third paper, the role of moral disengagement dimensions in the relationship between prejudice, discriminatory context, and employment discrimination

The Impact of Supervisor's Advice, Codes of Conduct, Accountability and Moral Attentiveness of Individuals on Discriminatory Behaviour Against Immigrants.

Past studies on the personnel selection demonstrated that a supervisor's advice to discriminate can lead to compliant behaviours. This study had the aim to extend past findings by examining what can overcome the powerful influence of the hierarchy. 50 Swiss managers participated to an in-basket exercise. The main task was to evaluate Swiss candidates (in-group) and foreigners (out-groups: Spanish and Kosovo Albanians) and to select two applicants for a job interview. Main results were the effect of codes of conduct to prevent discrimination against out-group applicants in the presence of a supervisor's advice to prefer in-group members. But, when participants were accountable to an audience, this beneficial effect disappears because participants followed the supervisor's advice. The second aim was to assess if the difference in responses between participants was related to their difference in moral attentiveness. Results showed some significant relationships but not always in the direction expected

Effet de la norme française d’intégration des minorités sur les préjugés anti-maghrébins en France

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