How Corruption is Tolerated in the Greek Public Sector: Toward a Second-Order Theory of Normalization

Fleming, P; Zyglidopoulos, S; Boura, M; Lioukas, S

How Corruption is Tolerated in the Greek Public Sector: Toward a Second-Order Theory of Normalization

Fleming, P Zyglidopoulos, S Boura, M Lioukas, S

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Publisher:: SAGE Publications
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Business & Society, pp. 000765032095486-000765032095486

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Fleming, P
dc.contributor.author	Zyglidopoulos, S
dc.contributor.author	Boura, M
dc.contributor.author	Lioukas, S
dc.date.accessioned	2020-09-10T23:23:59Z
dc.date.available	2020-09-10T23:23:59Z
dc.identifier.citation	Business & Society, pp. 000765032095486-000765032095486
dc.identifier.issn	0007-6503
dc.identifier.issn	1552-4205
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/142613
dc.description.abstract	<jats:p> Secrecy and “social cocooning” are critical mechanisms allowing the normalization of corruption within organizations. Less studied are processes of normalization that occur when corruption is an “open secret.” Drawing on an empirical study of Greek public-sector organizations, we suggest that a second-order normalization process ensues among non-corrupt onlookers both inside and beyond the organization. What is normalized at this level is not corruption, but its tolerance, which we disaggregate into agent-focused tolerance and structure-focused tolerance. Emphasizing the importance of non-corrupt bystanders, we claim that second-order normalization helps corruption persist in situations where its presence is openly acknowledged. This adds an important new dimension to normalization theory and we unpack its implications for both future research and practice in this area. </jats:p>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	SAGE Publications
dc.relation.ispartof	Business & Society
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/0007650320954860
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Business & Society. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650320954860
dc.subject	1503 Business and Management
dc.subject.classification	Business & Management
dc.title	How Corruption is Tolerated in the Greek Public Sector: Toward a Second-Order Theory of Normalization
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.for	1503 Business and Management
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business/Management Discipline
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2020-09-10T23:23:48Z
pubs.publication-status	Published online

Abstract:

Secrecy and “social cocooning” are critical mechanisms allowing the normalization of corruption within organizations. Less studied are processes of normalization that occur when corruption is an “open secret.” Drawing on an empirical study of Greek public-sector organizations, we suggest that a second-order normalization process ensues among non-corrupt onlookers both inside and beyond the organization. What is normalized at this level is not corruption, but its tolerance, which we disaggregate into agent-focused tolerance and structure-focused tolerance. Emphasizing the importance of non-corrupt bystanders, we claim that second-order normalization helps corruption persist in situations where its presence is openly acknowledged. This adds an important new dimension to normalization theory and we unpack its implications for both future research and practice in this area.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/142613