Incentives, virtues and big data organisations

Date
2021-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The nature of organisations has transformed greatly over recent years and contemporary organisations now have even greater responsibilities with the introduction of Big Data analytics. As a result, ethical concerns regarding the use of Big Data have emerged. One of these concerns, among many, is new ways in which employees can behave unethically in Big Data organisations. For example, with the introduction of new surveillance tools and data gathering techniques that provide detailed information about people, this creates an increased risk of employees finding ways to manipulate consumers’ attention in order to influence their behaviour. This is often done by personalising customer profiling in an attempt to improve services offered by the organisation or to increase sales, in order to increase profit. This can result in unintended consequences, such as discrimination or violating privacy rights. The right to privacy is a fundamental human right and, as such, organisations, and its employees, should be committed to respecting it. This study evaluates what organisational tools can be used to promote ethical (or virtuous) behaviour in Big Data organisations, focusing on incentives. A literature review conducted on organisational incentives shows that people do what they are incentivised to do, therefore aligning rewards with ethical outcomes is a possible solution to ethical problems in Big Data organisations. Organisations already incentivise employees simply for doing what is expected of them, therefore, it makes sense that organisations ought to incentivise ethical behaviour of employees if ethical (or virtuous) behaviour is what they want to encourage. Incentives should not only be understood in terms of driving behaviour to achieve an outcome but also in terms of how these outcomes are achieved. The study thus provides an opportunity to evaluate if a moral theory, such as Virtue ethics, integrated into an incentive system, could provide a good framework as to how employees should conduct themselves in Big Data organisations. This study will explore a potential solution for motivating virtuous employees in Big Data organisations who can make responsible decisions founded on their strong character traits. The potential risks of incentivising ethical behaviour are also explored. The findings suggest that including an ethics measure in existing incentives in Big Data organisations can have a positive effect on ethical behaviour, and therefore virtuous behaviour should be incentivised with appropriate incentives, such as nonfinancial incentives, by rewarding virtuous employees, and appropriately coaching or disciplining unethical employees.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die aard van organisasies het die afgelope jare baie verander maar met die opkoms en analise van “Groot Data”, het hedendaagse organisasies nou 'n groter verantwoordelikheid as ooit. As gevolg hiervan, het kommer ontstaan oor die etiese gebruik van “Groot Data”. Een bekommernis onder meer, is die nuwe maniere waarop werknemers oneties kan optree. Byvoorbeeld, met die bekendstelling van nuwe toesiginstrumente en tegnieke vir die insameling van data wat gedetailleerde inligting oor verbruikers bied, skep dit 'n verhoogde risiko dat werknemers maniere kan vind om die fokus van die verbruiker te manipuleer en sodoende hulle gedrag te verander. Dit word dikwels gedoen deur die verbruikersprofilering te personaliseer in 'n poging om dienste wat die organisasie bied te verbeter of om verkope te verhoog en sodoende wins te verhoog. Dit kan onbedoelde gevolge hê, soos diskriminasie, of tipies die skending van die reg op privaatheid. Die reg op privaatheid is 'n fundamentele reg en organisasies en sy werknemers moet daartoe verbind wees om dit te respekteer. Hierdie studie evalueer watter instrumente organisasies kan gebruik om etiese (of deugsame) gedrag in “Groot Data” organisasies te bevorder, maar met die fokus op aansporings. 'n Literatuuroorsig van organisatoriese aansporings toon dat mense se gedrag verander kan word in die rigting waarin hulle aangemoedig word, en daarom is beloning vir etiese uitkomste 'n moontlike oplossing. Organisasies moedig werknemers reeds aan om bloot te doen wat van hulle verwag word. Daarom is dit sinvol dat organisasies etiese gedrag van werknemers moet aanspoor as etiese (of deugsame) gedrag dit is wat hulle wil aanmoedig. Aansporings moet nie net verstaan word in die konteks van bestuursgedrag om 'n uitkoms te bereik nie, maar ook in terme van hoe hierdie uitkomste bereik word. Die studie bied dus die geleentheid om te bepaal of 'n morele teorie, soos Deugde-etiek, 'n goeie raamwerk kan bied vir hoe werknemers, met die regte aansporingsteikens, eties kan optree. Hierdie studie sal 'n moontlike oplossing ondersoek vir die motivering van deugsame werknemers in hedendaagse “Groot Data” organisasies wat deugsame besluite kan neem gebaseer op hul sterk karaktereienskappe. Die potensiële risiko's van aansporing van etiese gedrag word ook ondersoek. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat 'n etiese maatstaf wat by bestaande aansporings ingesluit word in “Groot Data” organisasies 'n positiewe uitwerking op etiese gedrag kan hê, en daarom kan deugsame gedrag aangespoor word met toepaslike aansporings. Nie-finansiële aansporings, byvoorbeeld, kan gebruik word om nie net deugsame werknemers te beloon nie, maar ook om die nodige afrigting aan of dissiplinering van onetiese werknemers te verskaf.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.
Keywords
Incentives in industry, Big data -- Ethical aspects, Privacy, Right of, Employees -- Conduct of life, Virtue, UCTD
Citation