Professionalism And Ethics: A Missed Connection?

What Does Professionalism Mean To You?

Does it mean, seeing yourself as expert, as leader, as authority, as role model?

You certainly think like that.

You see yourself as person who has knowledge and intelligence and does the own work with excellence.

In a paper on Professionalism and Moral Behavior, Maryam Kouchaki of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, tests the hypothesis that an emphasis on one’s professional identity and work has a greater likelihood of an individual engaging in unethical behavior.

Based on evidence from her lab studies and employee surveys, Kouchaki concludes that priming professionalism may actually lead to increased misbehavior.

There are certainly people who excuse their own misbehavior with the thinking:

“I’m a professional, I would never make a decision that isn’t in the best interest of my client.”

[bctt tweet=”People simply rely on their own personal judgment.” username=”bizmastersglobal”]

This research does not mean that all professionals are leading and acting unethically.

However, we can learn from that!