Unethical Behaviour of Organisations from a Social Network Perspective. A Literature Review
Unethical Behaviour of Organisations from a Social Network Perspective. A Literature Review

Summary/Abstract: One of the distinctive features of contemporary organisations is their interconnectedness.Relationships between companies are usually analysed on the basis ofsocial network relationships between them. The research question this article aimsto answer concerns the influence of being part of an interorganisational networkon the occurrence and consequences of unethical behaviour.This paper covers three main areas of research regarding this topic. Firstly,the role networks play in the initiation, evolution, and consequences of wrongdoings.The main problem taken into consideration in this part of the article is identifyingnetwork factors which increase and mitigate the propensity of organisationsto deceive their partners. Two main types of such determinants include relationaland structural factors. The first group usually involves features such as thestrength of ties, the symmetry/asymmetry of ties, and the status of partners. Thelatter includes such variables as structural holes, centrality, density and the cohesivenessof the network. The second area covered in this article concerns howmisconduct behaviours spread throughout the network of interorganisational ties.This phenomenon might resemble a social or emotional contagion occurring insocial networks. The effects of unethical acts on the network are the main interestof the third part of this paper. Usually, the consequences of wrongdoing by one ofthe interconnected partners include a change in the quality of the related partners,modifications in the structure of the network, and an alteration of its prominenceand cohesion. In conclusion, there are some suggestions for lines of inquiry in thearea of unethical behaviour from the social network perspective in the future.

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