Organizational Control of Deviant Behavior: The Case of Employee Theft

• NCJ Number: 112345
• Journal: Social Science Quarterly Volume: 69 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1988) Pages: 261-280
• Author(s): P F Parilla; R C Hollinger; J P Clark
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-NI-AX-0014; 79-NI-AX-0090
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

Organizations routinely rely on the use of pre-employment screening and the threat of punishment to control the behavior of employees.

Abstract

Yet little is known about whether such control practices have their intended effects. This research examines the effectiveness of these organizational controls in reducing employee theft in 47 work organizations representing 3 industries. Using data based on both interviews with 247 corporate executives and questionnaires from 9,175 employees, this study found that organizations do vary in terms of victimization from theft. The ability of controls to reduce organizational theft rates differ according to the industry studied. (Author abstract)