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We explore salientindividual characteristics and situation factors that are potential antecedentsto unethical decision-making among successful “movers and shakers.â€Â  We define movers and shakers as thoseindividuals that are high-level achieving professionals that have risen topower within their organizations.  Wepropose that direct relationships exist between the individual characteristicsof high-level achieving professionals and unethical decision-making such thatsituational effects may have no bearing on the ethical decision-makingcapability of the individual inasmuch as these individuals will act unethicallyregardless of the situation.  As in previous modelsof ethics, we propose a contingency approach to studying the interactionbetween individual characteristics and situational factors, such that situationalfactors potentially moderate the relationship between individual variables andunethical decision-making for most high level achieving professionals.  However, we argue that, in some cases, thehigh-level achieving professional’s personality could lead to unethicaldecision-making regardless of the situation. Finally, we raise questions for future research in order to understandnot only the antecedents to unethical decision-making among high levelachieving professionals, but also the implications these behaviors have onworkplace culture and morale.

ethics, organizational behavior, personality, situational factors