In an op-ed article in today’s edition of The New York Times, Max H. Bazerman, Straus Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, and Ann E. Tenbrunsel, Martin Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Notre Dame, discuss the reasons why ethical lapses occur so often in business settings.
According to Bazerman and Tenbrunsel, people are often unconsciously fooling themselves in situations where they act unethically. They overlook transgressions, or fail to see key ethical issues, because of “motivational blindness” – the tendency to overlook information that works against one’s best interest. Understanding these blind spots is critical when trying to reform business practices and systems.
Read the full op ed here.
Max Bazerman, a member of the PON Executive Committee, is the Straus Professor at the Harvard Business School, and is formally affiliated with the Kennedy School of Government, and the Psychology Department. His most recent book is Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What’s Right and What to Do About It, co-authored with Professor Ann Tenbrunsel. To read more, click here.