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This paper argues that management researchers should consider the effect of research on participants as an interaction with independent requirements and specific moral principles. The paper highlights the ethical principles of justice, beneficence and respect for persons, and applies these to the framing and collection of data in organizational and management research.
One issued identified is the shaping of management and organizational research by funding opportunities and the requirements of sponsoring or participating organizations. This may bias project selection and favour projects that are short-term or commercially viable, and increase the possibility that the research will not be specifically designed to benefit participants, or may involve some social or emotional risks. This possibility is increased if the research and its intended outcomes are less than transparent to potential participants.
A related issue is how to ensure that employees do not bear the burden of research, and that their welfare is considered in the research design phase. One way is to ensure voluntariness and informed consent. This shows respect for individual participants and their right to autonomy, and allows them to opt out if they believe there may be negative consequences of participation. However, it requires some transfer of control to the potential participant from the researcher and participating organization, and there may be objections to this from the sponsoring or participating organization, and researchers may fear a diminution of their sample size, and resultant lack of validity. There are also issues in ensuring voluntariness when the research is associated with an activity that is required as part of the employee’s work role. Similarly, it can be hard to ensure informed consent when the researcher is unable to predict the effect release or publication of the research findings will have within the organization. The short-term nature of most organizational research, and absence of follow-up, also raises issues of beneficence, and makes it hard for researchers to address the needs of participants.
Keywords:
Research ethics, justice, beneficence, respect for persons, informed consent
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