Why We Act by Catherine A. Sanderson

Author:Catherine A. Sanderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harvard University Press

8

At Work: Fostering Ethical Behavior

On October 20, 2014, Laquan McDonald, a black teenager, was shot and killed by Jason Van Dyke, a Chicago police officer. Initial police reports filed by Van Dyke and several other officers at the scene suggested that the shooting was justifiable because the seventeen-year-old had been acting crazy and lunging at officers with a knife. But further investigation uncovered a strikingly different story. The autopsy revealed that Laquan had been shot sixteen times. A video further indicated that the first shot had been fired while he was walking away—not lunging at the officers—and that he had been shot repeatedly even after he had fallen to the ground. Based on this evidence, Officer Van Dyke was found guilty of second degree murder and sixteen counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. He was sentenced to nearly seven years in jail.

Although Van Dyke had fired all the shots, he was not the only officer at the scene. Seven other officers who were present filed reports that supported his account that Laquan had been coming toward him with a knife, which is clearly contradicted by the video. Three of these officers were indicted by a grand jury for official misconduct, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice for their role in covering up Van Dyke’s actions. All three were found not guilty.

This story—in which one person engages in bad behavior but their colleagues at best ignore it and at worst cover it up—is not unique. Similar incidents occur in all industries, from employees ignoring fraudulent business practices to politicians ignoring illicit use of government funds or offensive language by a leader of their own party. This chapter examines the factors that lead people to stay silent about bad behavior in the workplace and suggests strategies organizations can use to change their work culture to foster moral courage.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.