Ethical decision-making and information systems management: The effects of moral intensity, accountability, and moral disengagement

Computer monitoring of workers' e-mail is becoming an increasingly contentious issue. Organizations seek to protect asset investments and control misuse of resources. Employees seek to reserve some degree of privacy in the workplace. Between these two factions are the information systems professionals who must implement and manage any e-mail monitoring plans. The purpose of this research was to better understand the ethical decision making of information system professionals faced with an e-mail monitoring situation. Specifically, three questions were investigated: (1) Does the magnitude of consequences of a monitoring issue influence the ethical decision making of information system professionals? (2) Does the accountability of information system professionals in monitoring situations influence their ethical decision making? (3) Does the moral disengagement of information system professionals influence the effects of magnitude of consequences and accountability on their ethical decision making? Using a sample of information system professionals and a fully crossed experimental factorial vignette design partial support was found for the influence of magnitude of consequences, but little support was found for the effects of accountability and moral disengagement. Implications and findings are discussed.