An Ethical Choice Using Peer Pressure as an Influence Tactic  

This exercise contributes to:

Learning Objective: Demonstrate how norms and status exert influence on an individual's behavior

Learning Outcome: Describe best practices for utilizing groups and work teams in organizations

AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning; Reflective thinking

We've all experienced peer pressure, and it can be hard to behave differently from your friends and coworkers. As more work in organizations is performed in groups and teams, the possibilities and pitfalls of such pressure have become an increasingly important ethical issue for managers.

Peer pressure can be a positive force in some ways. In groups or departments where high effort and performance are the norms, peer pressure from coworkers, whether direct or indirect, can encourage high performance from those not meeting expectations. For example, vehicle accidents at a Ghanaian gold mine were lowered when good drivers, rather than managers or staff professionals, trained new drivers. A team with a norm toward behaving ethically could also use peer pressure directly to minimize negative behavior. Thus, peer pressure can promote all sorts of good behaviors, from donating to charity to working for the Salvation Army.

However, as the chapter has shown, peer pressure can also be destructive. It can createa feeling of exclusion in those who do not go along with group norms and can be very stressful and hurtful for those who don't see eye-to-eye with the rest of the group. Peer pressure itself might become an unethical practice that unduly influences workers' behavior and thoughts. And while groups might pressure others into performing good behaviors, they can just as easily pressure them into performing bad behaviors.

Should you use group peer pressure? As a leader, you may need to. One recent survey found that only 6 percent of leaders reported being able to successfully influence their employees. If you do use peer pressure to encourage individuals to work toward team goals and behave consistently with organizational values, it can enhance ethical performance. But your behavior should emphasize acceptance and rewarding of positive behavior, rather than rejection and exclusion, as a means of getting everyone to behave consistently in a group.

An Ethical Choice - Peer Pressure

Read the attached article and answer the following questions:

1.How does social identity theory explain the concept of peer pressure, and the unwillingness of group members to go against group norms?

2.Describe a situation where a leader may need to exert group peer pressure to meet the goals of the organization and the team. How can the leader be effective in exerting this pressure without creating the perception of ingroup favoritism or social identity threat?

3.How can a leader motivate group members to discuss contrary opinions without causing them to feel rejected or excluded from the rest of the group?