Ethics and I-O psychology: Do we just talk the talk or do we walk the walk?

• Published in: Industrial and organizational psychology 2021-09, Vol.14 (3), p.335-339
• Main Authors: Stone, Nancy J., Kottke, Janet L., Shoenfelt, Elizabeth L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavior; Commentaries; Corruption; Economic summit conferences; Education; Ethics; Psychologists; Psychology; Teaching
• ISSN: 1754-9426; 1754-9434
• DOI: 10.1017/iop.2021.66

The Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology (SIOP) adopted the American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (https://www.apa.org/ethics/code) and, as SIOP members and psychologists, we agree to follow and abide by and are expected to comply with the APA Ethics Code1, 2. [...]we applaud Lefkowitz’s (2021) contribution to the theoretical frameworks for ethics. Because of our positions as academics, we focus on ethical misbehavior in academia, but our examples likely translate to situations encountered by practitioners. [...]faculty grievances are frequently heard and arbitrated by a committee of colleagues rather than by supervisors or the HR department; graduate assistants are employees who by the nature of their position may be in a dual or triple relationship with their supervising faculty member as both an employee (e.g., teaching or research assistant) and a student in classes and/or as the recipient of thesis or dissertation direction, which results in an even greater power differential than the typical supervisor–employee relationship in most organizational settings. Frequently, I-O psychologists are in the minority in academic departments whether they are housed in psychology departments or business schools. [...]it would be of value to discuss ethics issues with SIOP colleagues in the context of a SIOP session specifically designed to encourage the exploration and resolution of ethical quandaries experienced in academia that go beyond the teaching of ethical principles.