Planning

Insert yourself into the role of an I-O psychologist for a financial services firm that has just been investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The investigation ultimately led to the dismissal of your chief executive officer (CEO) for ethical and legal violations.

You will prepare a proposal that analyzes and recommends an organizational change process to address ethical and legal problems of this financial services firm.

Requirements

In your proposal, address these requirements:

Analyze a method you would use to identify both the micro (individual) and macro (systemic) issues that may have interacted to foster an organizational culture and climate in which this sort of ethical lapse could occur. Support your evaluation with I-O psychology peer-reviewed journal articles and real-world examples.
Compare two instruments, or other assessment methods, that your organization might use for selecting a new CEO. Provide a balanced view of both the pros and cons of the chosen instruments, and support their validity for this purpose. Your chosen instruments could measure the following (or related) constructs:
Ethics.
Motivation.
Intelligence.
Aptitude.
Leadership qualities.
Personality and individual differences.
Organizational citizenship.
Integrity.
Apply I-O psychology tools and methods to create a CEO job description that reflects the organizational changes that must occur. Concentrate on general leadership and ethical qualities, rather than the day-to-day skills required to run a financial firm.
Analyze a process for organizational change that could address the ethical and legal problems that have plagued the firm. Keep in mind that an I-O psychologist would also need to know when to recommend a multidisciplinary, team approach to address certain specialized areas (such as legal areas). What are the challenges to getting this change initiative and process developed and implemented?