Our project is looking at how managers can create an environment and culture of integrity when employees are working remotely. Creating a culture of integrity is important, especially online, when it might be easier for employees to engage in dishonest behavior.

References:

Albitar, K., Gerged, A. M., Kikhia, H., & Hussainey, K. (2020). Auditing in times of social

distancing: the effect of COVID-19 on auditing quality. International Journal of Accounting & Information Management.

In this paper, the researchers discussed the impact of Covid-19 on the auditing quality, specifically on 5 key elements: audit fees, going concern assessment, auditor human capital, audit procedures, and audit personnel salaries. This paper provides useful potential problems that come with remote working, implications, suggestions to combat the problems, and further topics for research. It is a great beginning source because it reveals more ways that we can tackle our research question.

Hoch, J. E. (2013). Shared leadership and innovation: The role of vertical leadership and

employee integrity. Journal of Business and Psychology, 28(2), 159-174.

This article explores the relationship between vertical leadership and employee integrity. The article found that the more employees are able to be involved in leadership, the higher the levels of innovation and integrity within an organization. This research is relevant to our research topic because we are looking at ways that managers can increase integrity in the workplace. Even in the remote workspace, if managers are able to share leadership with team members, and allow team members to share leadership with each other, it could reduce the chances of fraud happening, while increasing productivity.

Kurland, N. B., & Cooper, C. D. (2002). Manager control and employee isolation in

telecommuting environments. The Journal of High Technology Management Research, 13(1), 107-126.

This study explains the advantages of telecommuting for employees and the disadvantages of telecommuting for managers and supervisors of those employees. The managerial struggle is the main point of focus as it relates to our research topic of creating a culture of integrity in the remote workspace. The study finds that there are a few strategies managers or supervisors can use to effectively control a telecommuter’s behavior. Which, when these strategies are used for the whole group/team, ultimately create an honest and hardworking atmosphere.

Martin, G., & Gollan, P. J. (2012). Corporate governance and strategic human resources

management in the UK financial services sector: the case of the RBS. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(16), 3295-3314.

This article explains how a change in governance in a financial institution often affects the ethics, climate, and role of HR. It is a case study of how the Royal Bank of Scotland management and leadership style and culture lead it into the brink of collapse and needed to be bailed out by the UK government. They also documented the bank after the crash and how they rebuilt their organization, starting from the top down, to move away from the egoism culture.  

Zuckerman, A. (2002). Strong corporate cultures and firm performance: are there

tradeoffs?. Academy of Management Perspectives, 16(4), 158-160.

Zuckerman (2002) explores the research of Jesper B. Sorensen which demonstrated the positive correlation between a strong corporate culture and a firm’s financial performance. In exploring this research Zuckerman considers if there are negative tradeoffs of a strong corporate culture when company volatility occurs and the dependability of the culture during this challenge. He argues that strong corporate cultures are far more likely to succeed during stable times because of an emphasis on routine exploitation, yet when facing volatility this trait negatively affects the firm and nearly removes any reliability advantage that the strong culture may have had. Zuckerman recognizes the findings of the research and concludes by suggesting further research into how a strong corporate culture disperses as volatility arises. This information contributes to the research into a culture of integrity as managers set the foundations for strong corporate culture and can minimize the stress of volatility especially in the remote workspace.

Michael Furwa

Gavin Clark

Dylan Rockafield

Quan Truong

Dustin Bryant