Randi L. Sims
Abstract
As employees continue to lie, cheat, and steal from their employers,
researchers have tried to help
managers understand and possibly predict such deviant behavior. This
study considers the specific
employee misconduct of ethical rule breaking. Hirschi (1969) suggested
that deviant behavior can be
better understood by social bonding theory. The social bonding model
includes four elements;
attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. It is proposed that
Hirschi's social bonding theory can
be used to understand ethical rule breaking by employees. Using a
sample of 200 employees, the results
indicate that the social bonding elements of attachment and involvement
can be used to better understand
the reported likelihood of ethical rule breaking of employees.
Recommendations for better applying the
social bonding model to ethical rule breaking are suggested.
Keywords
employee deviance, ethical rule breaking, social bonding
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