Do Actions Speak Louder than Words? The Impact of Ethical Awareness and Ethical Tone Consistency on Policy Compliance

• In Event: Ethics and Judgment

Abstract

This study examines the impact of ethical awareness and ethical tone mismatch on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy compliance. Organizations use BYOD policies to address the heightened risks of data and privacy breaches that arise when employees use their personal devices to access or store company data. We conducted an online experiment to determine: (1) whether ethical awareness is related to policy compliance, (2) the efficacy of an intervention designed to increase ethical awareness, and (3) how ethical tone mismatch affects ethical awareness, policy compliance, and ethical spillover. We find that ethical awareness is positively related to policy compliance, and that our intervention effectively fosters policy compliance through its effects on ethical awareness. Furthermore, we provide evidence that ethical tone mismatch erodes policy compliance intentions, and spills over to affect decisions in other contexts. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications.

Authors

• Robert E Crossler, Mississippi State University

• James H. Long, Auburn University

• Tina M Loraas, Auburn University

• Brad Trinkle, Mississippi State University