Abstract
The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of indirect influence from a superior, on the ethical/unethical decision-making behavior of Air Force officers. Differences between officers grouped by commissioning source were also measured. The relationship between unethical decision-making behavior and previous exposure to a supervisor fostering an unethical organizational environment was analyzed. The sample consisted of seventy-five officers drawn from the population of an Air Force base. The measurement of the independent variable, influence, was manipulated in an in-basket exercise to determine its effect on the dependent variable, unethical decision-making behavior. A post-exercise survey was used to determine the extent to which the subject's supervisor fostered an unethical organizational climate. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. This study found a significant difference between scores of officers influenced to behave unethically and those of officers not influenced. Data suggest a tendency to tolerate unethical acts rather than directly perform them. Survey responses support this finding. There was not a significant difference in the scores of officers grouped by commissioning source. Although the data showed consistency in the occurence of unethical decision-making behavior among officers and their previous supervisors, there was not sufficient data to suggest a correlation between exposure to a supervisor who fostered an unethical organizational environment, and unethical decision-making behavior. A written professional code of ethics should be adopted for use in both operational and training environments throughout the Air Force. Ethics training should be standardized among the commissioning sources and be included as an element of professional development in follow-on training.