Normal Organizational Wrongdoing

Instances of wrongdoing in and by organizations have featured heavily in news headlines in recent years. Why do organizational participants - employees, managers, senior officials - engage in illegal, unethical, and socially irresponsible behavior? The dominant view of wrongdoing as an abnormal phenomenon assumes that the perpetrator is a rational, proactive actor, working in isolation. However, Palmer develops an alternative approach in this book examining wrongdoing as a normal occurrence, produced by actors with no positive inclinations to engage in this practice, but whose behaviour is shaped by the immediate social context over a period of time.The book provides a comprehensive critical review of the theory and research on organizational wrongdoing. By using rich case study material, it illuminates different perspectives, potential explanations, policy implications, and suggestions for the way forward for the improvement of organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

the book is very useful for anyone interested in organizations and ethics. With his fine review of relevant theories and by providing a wealth of examples, Palmer is able to demonstrate that organizational wrongdoing is indeed normal, as his title suggests., One of the strength's of this book is the many vivd and fascinating case studies of organizational wrongdoing that the author uses to illustrate each theory ... anyone with an interest in corporate scandals will find these case studies rich and compelling ... Palmer's book is both important and timely., Donald Palmer has developed a provocative argument about the inevitability of organizational wrongdoing. What we have here is a critical, inclusive, sociological analysis that takes the perspective of embedded wrongdoers [The book] could easily be a basic text for organizational studies courses of any kind. Why? Basic positions are presented and compared. Ethics are not compartmentalized. Applications are not oversimplified. Readers understand more clearly why organizational participants may develop a cynical outlook., Palmer provides an overview of the underlying theories, drawing on a range of disciplines sociology, economics, psychology, ethics and management and provides examples showing how each explanation can be applied. ... the book is very useful for anyone interested in organizations and ethics. With his fine review of relevant theories and by providing a wealth of examples, Palmer is able to demonstrate that organizational wrongdoing is indeed normal, as his title suggests., Palmer's book is both important and timely... [and his] exploration of these questions covers a wide range of disciplines - sociology, psychology, social psychology, criminology, political science, economics, and philosophy - giving his book an impressive breadth. He provides thorough and careful descriptions and illustrations of eight specific explanations of organizational wrongdoing... Anyone with an interest in corporate scandals will find these case studies rich and compelling.

Donald Palmer holds a BSc in Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a PhD in Sociology from the State University of New York, Stony Brook. He has served as Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and as chair of the Department of Sociology at Reed College. Professor Palmer has conducted quantitative empirical studies on corporate strategy, structure, and inter-organizational relations and qualitativestudies of organizational wrongdoing, which have been published in the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Annual Review of Sociology, Social Forces, Research in the Sociology of Organizations Administrative Science Quarterly, Research in Organizational Behavior, StrategicOrganization, and Journal of Management Inquiry. He was an Associate Editor of Administrative Science Quarterly from 2000 to 2002 and Editor of the journal from 2003 to 2008.