Ethics of Individual Behavior

Sociology, social psychology, and criminology suggest insights that can help an organization encourage individuals to adhere to a code of ethical behavior (Bainbridge 1997, 2004). For example, an industrial corporation may have established very enlightened standards of behavior with respect to environmental pollution, workplace hazards, and intellectual property rights. But this may not do much good if social disorganization, pressures to overachieve, and internal conflict impel many members of the organization to violate these rules. Here are three suggestions that can be applied to work with nanotechnology but that also apply very generally:

1. Do not consistently leave any members of the group out of the communication channels or the network of social relationships. An extensive body of scientific research has found that individuals whose bond to society is weak or broken are no longer under social control and thus are especially free to violate rules.

2. Do not allow any individual to be under such extreme pressures to perform that he or she will feel forced to take unethical shortcuts. Job performance pressures can motivate some individuals to innovate in valuable ways, but when people's self-esteem and economic well-being depend on accomplishing things that are beyond their abilities, they are apt to take shortcuts or to engage in deception.

3. Do not allow any subgroups or divisions of the organization to become so autonomous that they develop a deviant subculture. Group cohesion and solidarity are valuable assets, as long as they reinforce dedication to the legitimate goals of the organization. Too much solidarity within a division, however, can cause the group to secede socially and psychologically from the larger organization, and excessive cohesion encourages groupthink, which is a harmful tendency to make decisions without considering valid criticism or the wider ethical context.