TITLE:
Higher, Faster, Further: Occupational Ethical Decision-Making under Time Pressure in Type A versus Type B Personalities
AUTHORS:
Ann-Kathrin Emser, Simon Heintzen, Claas Beeser, Barbara Stoberock, Nicki Marquardt
KEYWORDS:
Ethical Decision-Making, Morality, Time Pressure, Type A Personality, Moral Judgment, Personality, Unethical Behavior
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.12 No.10,
October
29,
2021
ABSTRACT: The current study aims to provide insights into personal and situational influencing factors of ethical decision-making in the work context. Previous research has indicated that individuals who are characterized by the so-called Type A personality pattern show increased levels of morality when having to decide on ethical issues. Among others, these people are marked by their great sense of time urgency and their overall preference for speed. As fast decision- making often plays a crucial role in businesses, the current study investigated in how far time pressure affects ethical decision-making of Type As in comparison to others (Type Bs). Therefore, we conducted a vignette-based experiment with a 2 × 2 between-subjects design. Participants were classified into Type A versus B personalities and had to execute ethical decision-making either with or without time constrains. Results reveal no significant differences in Type As versus Type Bs ethical decision-making regarding four different moral domains, namely moral awareness, moral judgement, moral intention, and moral behavior. Results indicate numerically stricter moral judgement and higher moral intentions of Type As (versus Bs), while failing to reach statistical significance. Additionally, our results revealed significant negative associations between time pressure and (only) one moral domain, namely moral behavior, indicating more moral behavior within participants without time pressure. These results are in accordance with several studies showing impaired ethical decision-making in individuals that are put under time constraints. Overall, results reveal no significant interaction effects. Practical implications of the results, as well as ideas for future research, are discussed.