Give some of the reasons why employees might feel coerced to participate in a study at their organization.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Regardless of the specific research method used to collect data, Mirvis and Seashore (1979) argued that organizations are systems of coercion, which makes protecting participants’ rights, as specified by the APA’s Ethical Guidelines, difficult. Thus, participants may feel pressured to participate in research studies sponsored by their employer, and researchers may not have sufficient control over the research to guarantee the ethical treatment of participants. However, researchers have an ethical obligation to ensure the well-being of multiple research participants in organizational settings. Wright and Wright (1999) called this a “committed-to-participant” approach. They exemplified this approach in a study that examined the effects of different methods of coping behavior on diastolic blood pressure. The researchers informed participants who were engaging in coping methods likely to lead to high blood pressure about the risks of this behavior and recommended appropriate lifestyle changes. Thus, these researchers were able to collect data, participants were warned about risky behaviors, and organizations will hopefully reap the benefits of reducing the number of employees engaging in risky behavior.