Normal Organizational Wrongdoing: A Critical Analysis of Theories of Misconduct in and by Organizations
Oxford University Press, 2012
Instances of wrongdoing in and by organizations are prevalent in modern society, perhaps increasingly so in recent years. Why do organizational participants—employees, managers, senior officials—engage in illegal, unethical, and socially irresponsible behavior?
The dominant perspective on organizational wrongdoing considers it to be an abnormal phenomenon, perpetrated by rational actors, who make discrete decisions, largely immune to the influence of their situational context. Palmer develops an alternative approach that views wrongdoing as a common occurrence, produced by boundedly rational actors whose behavior is often shaped by the immediate social context and frequently evolves over a period of time.
Normal Organizational Wrongdoing provides a comprehensive critical review of the theory and research on organizational wrongdoing. By using rich case study material, it illuminates different perspectives on wrongdoing, potential explanations of wrongdoing, and policy suggestions for the reduction of wrongdoing.
About Donald Palmer
Professor Donald Palmer is engaged in a series of studies in the area of corporate crime, ethics and social responsibility. His research examines why otherwise law-abiding, ethical and socially responsible people participate in wrongful courses of behavior; in particular, why such individuals join wrongful courses of action that are initiated by others.
In recent years, Palmer has presented his research at the University of Alberta, Simon Fraser University, New York University, Harvard University, Boston College and the University of California (Irvine and Berkeley campuses). He has served as Distinguished Visiting Scholar at INSEAD in France. Palmer served as editor of Administrative Science Quarterly from 2002 to 2008.
