Simple steps may improve team ethics

Instead of ending a group meeting asking if anyone has any questions, it may be better to ask participants if they can think of anything that can go wrong with the plan discussed.

What the researchers say: “It helps get people thinking about who could potentially be harmed or if there is a part of the project we’re just not thinking about,” said the lead author on a new study exploring ethical decision-making within teams. “This helps people focus on potential issues before they can become ethical problems.”

Historically, studies on ethical decision-making, for example in academia, have focused on individual researchers. However, researchers, or professionals generally, rarely work alone. Plus, studies on the psychology of groups have shown that people think and behave differently when they work as part of a team rather than alone, so it’s important to understand team dynamics.

“The integrity of the scientific enterprises depends a great deal on faith that researchers will ‘play by the rules,’” the lead author continued. “But that trust can erode quickly when researchers are caught fabricating data, plagiarizing work, failing to disclose conflicts of interest, or engaging in poor research practices that can harm others.”

To better understand the ethics of team decision-making, the researchers behind the present study interviewed scientists working at a public research university, asking them about their experiences and observations with ethical dilemmas within research.

After recording the interviews, the team transcribed and coded all the data to look for common themes. The most prevalent dilemma reported was research misconduct, with 75 percent of participants reporting issues around data fabrication, falsifying information, or copying work from another researcher.

The second most reported ethical dilemma was around the protection of human subjects, with 55% of researchers saying they had experienced an issue where a team member was not following ethical procedures surrounding the protection of the rights and welfare of study participants. The participants said that issues could become awkward if the person acting unethically had more seniority over the other members.

Although the current study was exploratory in nature and needs additional research to validate the findings using an experimental design, the team explained that it revealed a few tactics that may help teams perform more ethically. One takeaway is the idea of an “ethical champion” who can help the group ensure they are not deliberately or accidentally making ethical mistakes and can also serve as role models for other group members.

“Our study showed that in many groups, a person stepped up to be the ethical champion. This wasn’t a formal designation, but rather, a person who was willing to speak up about ethical values and norms,” they said. “In some groups, a team member may be more focused on results, not thinking about some decisions being right or wrong or whether someone could potentially be harmed. This ethical champion was someone who was willing to say something if they saw something amiss.”

They also emphasized the importance of fostering an environment where everyone feels empowered to voice concerns. “It’s important for teams to create a culture of psychological safety within the research group so that people without power feel comfortable speaking up.”

So, what? This research obviously applies to any team in almost any organization. The emphasis on the ability to speak up within a culture of psychological safety is becoming more and more recognized. I really like the idea of an “ethical champion” within every team.