Tyler, Tom R. --- "The Psychology of Self-Regulation: Normative Motivations for Compliance" [2011] ELECD 934; in Parker, Christine; Nielsen, Lehmann Vibeke (eds), "Explaining Compliance" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: Explaining Compliance

Editor(s): Parker, Christine; Nielsen, Lehmann Vibeke

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848448858

Section: Chapter 4

Section Title: The Psychology of Self-Regulation: Normative Motivations for Compliance

Author(s): Tyler, Tom R.

Number of pages: 23

Extract:

4. The psychology of self-regulation:
normative motivations for
compliance
Tom R. Tyler

INTRODUCTION

Reactions to recent corporate scandals and regulatory failures in the busi-
ness community have involved highly visible prosecutions of some offend-
ers and the enactment of sanction-backed enforcement frameworks.1 This
reflects the general deterrence model which broadly shapes American
responses to regulatory issues. This chapter argues that deterrence mecha-
nisms of the type being widely used are usually less effective than is gener-
ally believed, and are particularly unlikely to be optimal approaches to
regulating the actions of those who work in business settings. In contrast,
research findings suggest that efforts to build a value based climate of rule
following are a promising approach that is likely to lead to more wide-
spread voluntary acceptance of, and deference to, workplace rules and
policies (Tyler et al., 2008).
Studies suggest that there are viable strategies for building rule follow-
ing based upon the belief that company rules are legitimate and company
practices moral. These strategies rely on the strong link between proce-
dural justice and values. Studies find that the primary factor shaping legiti-
macy, morality and rule adherence is the procedural justice that employees
experience in their workplace. Overall this analysis highlights the impor-
tant role that ethical judgments play in motivating both rule following and
policy adherence among employees in work settings.
Rule adherence among corporate employees is important in a wide
variety of work settings, and potentially involves following organizational
policies that ...