Ethics Assessments and Integrity Testing
In today’s business environment, organizations are under increasing pressure to operate with transparency, fairness, and accountability. Regulatory bodies, shareholders, and customers expect not only compliance with laws but also consistent alignment with ethical principles. Yet, even well-intentioned companies face challenges: employees may rationalize questionable behavior under pressure, leaders may struggle to balance competing demands, and organizational cultures may unintentionally encourage risk-taking at the expense of integrity.
Psychologists bring a unique and evidence-based perspective to these challenges. Through the use of validated psychometric tools, structured assessments, and scenario-based evaluations, we help organizations gain a clear picture of how individuals and teams approach ethical dilemmas. Our role is not about punishment, but about prevention, culture building, and leadership support. Ethical decision-making and integrity testing provide a proactive way for companies to identify risks early, foster trust, and embed values into everyday decisions.
Assessments Done
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Positive Satisfaction
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Used Post-Testing Services
The Value of Ethics Assessments and Integrity Testing
Ethical decision-making and integrity testing offer organizations scientifically grounded insights into how employees and leaders approach compliance, fairness, and responsibility. These evaluations are not punitive; they are preventive tools for identifying vulnerabilities, strengthening corporate values, and guiding leadership development.
Benefits include:
- Reduced misconduct, fraud, and compliance failures.
- Improved stakeholder trust and brand reputation.
- Data-driven hiring and promotion decisions.
- Tailored ethics training aligned with actual risk areas.
- Predictive analytics that help anticipate problem behaviors before they escalate.
What We Assess and How
Using validated psychological instruments, we assess multiple domains of ethical functioning:
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- Moral Reasoning and Judgment
- Defining Issues Test-2 (DIT-2) and Moral Judgment Interview (MJI) can be adapted to measure reasoning stages.
- Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) customized for the company’s industry.
- Integrity and Honesty
- Hogan Integrity Inventory (Hogan) and Personnel Reaction Blank (PRB) for integrity tendencies.
- PAI (Personality Assessment Inventory): Antisocial Features, Aggression, and Treatment Rejection subscales provide red flags for risk tolerance and rule-breaking.
- SPECTRA: Captures externalizing spectrum (e.g., aggression, antisocial, substance risk) that correlates with ethical lapses.
- Executive Function and Impulsivity
- Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT-3) and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Adult (BRIEF-A) measure attention, self-regulation, and impulse control.
- CEFI (Comprehensive Executive Function Inventory) highlights self-monitoring, planning, and inhibition.
- Values and Organizational Fit
- NEO-PI-3: Provides insight into conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness, which predict ethical alignment.
- Cultural Values Scale (CVS) to assess alignment between personal and corporate values.
- Moral Reasoning and Judgment
How to use results to move the needle
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- Policy and Compliance: Adjust corporate codes of conduct and reporting structures.
- Leadership Development: Identify leaders who may rationalize unethical decisions and provide coaching.
- Recruitment and Retention: Screen for candidates whose values align with the company’s.
- Training Design: Use real assessment data to create targeted ethics workshops.
- Risk Monitoring: Track high-risk departments or roles where ethical decision-making may be compromised.
Steps in Our Engagement
Discovery & Alignment (Week 0–2):
Consultation with leadership to define organizational goals and compliance priorities.
Assessment Selection & Customization (Week 3–6):
Choose appropriate tools (PAI, BRIEF-A, SPECTRA, integrity inventories, SJTs) tailored to company size, industry, and regulatory environment.
Administration (Week 7–8):
Deploy assessments confidentially online or in structured workshops.
Activation (Week 9–16)
- Analysis: Integrate psychometric data with qualitative interviews and scenario-based exercises.
Feedback & Action Planning
Deliver results with clear, evidence-based recommendations.
Ongoing Monitoring (Quarterly):
Provide longitudinal data tracking, predictive risk alerts, and updated ethics training.
Ready to Learn More?
Case 1: Small Business (50 employees)
Challenge
A boutique financial firm noticed employees occasionally bending internal policies to satisfy demanding clients. Leadership was concerned that this pattern could escalate into compliance risks.
Assessment Mix
- PAI (Personality Assessment Inventory) – Antisocial Features and Aggression subscales.
- Hogan Integrity Inventory – integrity tendencies and honesty.
- Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) – tailored to client-service ethical dilemmas.
What We Found
The workforce scored high in client-orientation and conscientiousness but demonstrated rationalization of “minor” policy deviations when under pressure. This pattern revealed a cultural vulnerability: strong service orientation overshadowing regulatory adherence.
How It Helped
We worked with leadership to balance client satisfaction with compliance, providing training on ethical decision-making under pressure. Leaders received coaching on how to reinforce adherence without undermining service.
Results
Within six months, the company implemented a new compliance training framework. Employee surveys showed a 40% improvement in confidence handling client conflicts ethically, and regulatory audits confirmed consistent adherence to policies.
Case 2: Mid-Sized Technology Company (500 employees)
Challenge
A fast-growing technology company expanding into global markets found significant differences in how employees approached ethical dilemmas, depending on cultural and regional norms. Leadership sought a unified ethics framework across teams.
Assessment Mix
- SPECTRA – measuring externalizing tendencies (aggression, antisocial risk).
- BRIEF-A (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Adult) – assessing impulse control and self-monitoring.
- Customized Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) – tailored to technology and data-use scenarios.
What We Found
Results showed high variability in ethical reasoning and impulse regulation across departments and international offices. Some teams rationalized shortcuts in data security to meet productivity goals, while others showed over-compliance that slowed innovation.
How It Helped
We designed a standardized ethics training module grounded in the assessment findings. Leadership received coaching to model consistent decision-making, while HR used results to integrate integrity metrics into onboarding.
Results
After one year, compliance incidents related to data security dropped by 30%. Employee surveys showed increased confidence in “knowing the right thing to do,” and the company successfully passed an international compliance review.
Case 3: Large Multinational (20,000 employees)
Challenge
A multinational corporation in a heavily regulated industry engaged us after external audits flagged potential compliance risks in several departments. Leadership wanted predictive tools to identify high-risk areas before future audits.
Assessment Mix
- PAI – Antisocial Features, Aggression, and Treatment Rejection scales.
- SPECTRA – internalizing and externalizing spectrum indicators.
- CEFI (Comprehensive Executive Function Inventory) – assessing planning, inhibition, and self-monitoring.
- NEO-PI-3 – values alignment and conscientiousness.
What We Found
Certain departments showed elevated risk profiles, including higher tolerance for rule-bending, weak executive control, and low alignment with organizational values. Validity indices confirmed accurate responding, ruling out over-reporting.
How It Helped
We built a predictive compliance dashboard integrating psychometric data with HR and audit records. This allowed leadership to track risk indicators in real time, target training, and adjust oversight where vulnerabilities were most acute.
Results
Within two years, the company improved compliance scores in follow-up audits, avoided significant fines, and strengthened its reputation with regulators. Departments flagged by testing received focused training, reducing reported ethical concerns by 45%.
Deliverables
- Comprehensive Psychometric Report: Includes validity indices, T-scores, and percentile ranks across integrity-related scales.
- Leadership & HR Briefing: Executive-level synthesis with risk-mitigation recommendations.
- Action Roadmap: Specific steps for compliance, hiring, and leadership development.
- Training Modules: Custom ethics and integrity workshops based on assessment findings.
- Follow-up Testing: Track organizational culture shifts over 6–12 months.