Chair of Economic Psychology and Leadership Ethics

Corporate culture
The development of unethical business practices is not only a question of individual factors but also depends on the value- and corporate culture of an organization. Under corporate culture we subsume the prevailing structures, norms, values and behaviors of a business. These are reinforced for example by role models, goal settings and even subtle contextual factors (such as pictures, symbols, focus on money). Often, the unwritten rather than the made explicit values and principles of a Code of Ethics are what shape a business culture. Thus, the focus is on the specification and the role of compliance and integrity dimensions and how these factors impact on the development of misconduct within organizations. We are currently developing and testing an instrument that measures relevant indicators of an ethical and responsible business culture. The goal is to frequently conduct a monitoring via the Corporate Ethical Culture Scale, collecting data on business culture periodically and on a large scale for the interested public.

Moral intelligence – Self-navigation system and one’s own values
In research and practice, social and emotional intelligence have received a great deal of attention in recent years as important prerequisites for successful interaction in business and elsewhere. Since the financial and economic crisis, moral intelligence has been seen as a new challenge. At the LEIZ Chair of Business Psychology and Leadership Ethics, we conduct research into motivational as well as perception-, decision-making- and acting-related conditions for moral intelligence. On the other hand, work at the Chair will contribute to measuring and promoting moral competencies through measuring devices and innovative tools.

The enigma of honesty – A question of costs or values?
Questions and discussions on the topic of (dis)honesty in the business and financial context have been popular again for quite some time. The economic and financial crisis, numerous fraud scandals at large companies (Enron, Worldcom, VW), banks (Libor scandal, currency manipulation) or people (Madoff, Adoboli) have contributed to this. But why do people behave honestly or dishonestly? That is a question we have been dealing with for many years in interdisciplinary research projects (Psychology, Economy & Finance, Ethics). The interactions between situational and motivational determinants of honesty are examined on the basis of experimental studies.