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Are Callings Always Ethically Good? Why and When Occupational Calling Inhibits Unethical Decision-Making Among Researchers

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Abstract

In recent years, attention to researchers’ scientific misconduct has increased dramatically. Although existing research reflects a shared value that occupational calling is an ethical good (i.e., being more likely to make ethical choices), no empirical study has yet examined the ethical outcomes of occupational calling. Drawing on the integrated ethical decision-making model (I-EDM), this study first investigated whether occupational calling inhibits researchers’ unethical decision-making. Secondly, it examined why and when occupational calling relates to researchers’ unethical decision-making. The findings from a four-wave survey, with 257 researchers working in research roles in universities in China, reveal that occupational calling (time 1) inhibits researchers’ unethical decision-making (time 4). Moral disengagement (time 3) provides an explanation for the negative link between occupational calling (time 1) and unethical decision-making (time 4). The moderated mediation analysis further shows that the inhibitory effect of occupational calling (time 1) on researchers’ unethical decision-making (time 4) disappears when the work-unit structure (time 2) is perceived to be organic. These findings provide meaningful theoretical and practical implications for research and practice.

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Notes

  1. Unlike the North America system, in China, a lecturer is of higher rank than assistant professor.

  2. The details of the results will be provided by the corresponding author upon request.

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Funding

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: this study was supported by the Undergraduate Education of Model Worker and Teaching Reform Program in China University of Labor Relations (Project no. LMY2022007), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project no. 72272117; 72172112), and the Humanities and Social Sciences Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (Project no. 22YJA630123).

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  1. School of Management, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Baoguo Xie & Xinrou Zhang

  2. School of Labor Relations and Human Resources, China University of Labor Relations, 45 Zengguang Road, Beijing, 100048, People’s Republic of China

    Xueyuan Gao

  3. National Institute of Transportation Department, Beijing Jiaotong University, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaoxue Zhou

  4. Research Institute of Digital Governance and Management Decision Innovation, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Baoguo Xie

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Xie, B., Zhang, X., Gao, X. et al. Are Callings Always Ethically Good? Why and When Occupational Calling Inhibits Unethical Decision-Making Among Researchers. J Bus Ethics 191, 357–372 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05471-4

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