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Men, Mammals, or Machines? Dehumanization Embedded in Organizational Practices

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  • Tuure Väyrynen

    (University of Oulu)

  • Sari Laari-Salmela

    (University of Oulu)

Abstract

The present study combines dehumanization research with the concept of organizational trust to examine how employees perceive various types of maltreatment embedded within the organizational practices that form the ethical climate of an organization. With the help of grounded theory methodology, we analyzed 188 employment exit interview transcripts from an ICT subcontracting company. By examining perceived trustworthiness and perceived humanness, we found that dehumanizing employees can deteriorate trust within organizations. The violations found in the empirical material were divided into animalistic and mechanistic forms of dehumanization and linked to perceived integrity and benevolence, respectively. Based on the results, a model describing the link between dehumanization and trust is presented and discussed in relation to the ways in which perceptions of humanness become rooted in practices and affect the basic assumptions underlying (un-)ethical organizational behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Tuure Väyrynen & Sari Laari-Salmela, 2018. "Men, Mammals, or Machines? Dehumanization Embedded in Organizational Practices," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 95-113, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:147:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10551-015-2947-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-015-2947-z
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    Cited by:

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    2. Francis Cheung, 2022. "Work-Related Smartphone Use at Night and Job Satisfaction: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model of Emotional Exhaustion and Organizational Dehumanization," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-14, August.
    3. Eva Ariño-Mateo & Raúl Ramírez-Vielma & Matías Arriagada-Venegas & Gabriela Nazar-Carter & David Pérez-Jorge, 2022. "Validation of the Organizational Dehumanization Scale in Spanish-Speaking Contexts," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-14, April.
    4. Luke Fowler & Stephen Utych, 2021. "Are people better employees than machines? Dehumanizing language and employee performance appraisals," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(4), pages 2006-2019, July.
    5. Ayesha Scott, 2023. "Financial Abuse in a Banking Context: Why and How Financial Institutions can Respond," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(4), pages 679-694, November.
    6. Eva Ariño-Mateo & Matías Arriagada Venegas & Carlos Mora-Luis & David Pérez-Jorge, 2024. "The level of conscientiousness trait and technostress: a moderated mediation model," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.
    7. Carine Farias & Tapiwa Seremani & Pablo D. Fernández, 2021. "Popular Culture, Moral Narratives and Organizational Portrayals: A Multimodal Reflexive Analysis of a Reality Television Show," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(2), pages 211-226, June.

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