The Ethics of Bluffing: The Effects of Individual Differences On Perceived Ethicality and Bluffing Behavior

Abstract

Although researchers have debated the ethicality of bluffing in business, little research has examined individuals’ attitudes and beliefs towards bluffing and how characteristics of the individual influence such perceptions and subsequent behavior. We consider this issue by examining how individuals’ ethical orientation influences their perceptions of the ethicality of bluffing select organizational stakeholders, their willingness to bluff, and their actual bluffing behavior. Results indicate that ethical orientation exerts direct effects on the perceived ethicality of bluffing and indirect effects on individuals’ reported willingness to engage in this misleading form of communication as well as their actual bluffing behavior. Implications for their practice and research are discussed.