Gill is a part-time PhD student in the School of Allied Health and Community at the University of Worcester.
Gill’s main research interest is individual differences in occupational psychology. Her PhD research concerns ethical decision-making within organisations. She is conducting a largely survey-based longitudinal study into leaders’ ethical decision-making, and the importance of followers and context.
Over the past couple of decades, the ethical dimension of leadership has become an increasingly prominent topic, in the popular press, in business and in academic literature. However, conceptualisation of what constitutes an ethical or unethical decision is ambiguous, based on personal ethical ideologies. Whilst research has shown that employees’ perception of the ethicality of their manager influences their behaviour and performance, the question as to what influences employees’ perception of ethicality, despite its ambiguity, has not been addressed. Further, there has been little research which seeks to uncover how leaders’ ethical decision-making is influenced by either the organisational climate, or the leaders’ employees.
Hence, this research will seek to develop understanding of how personal ethical ideologies influence leaders’ ethical decision-making, how these decisions impact on employees’ behaviours and performance, and how leaders’ ethical decision-making is influenced by employees and the organisational climate. The implications for organisational practices may include selection and learning and development processes and interventions. Note that this study specifically excludes illegal behaviour.
The research comprises two parts:
• firstly, focus groups to develop ethical dilemmas within a range of organisations in the private sector, public sector, and third sector, and;
• secondly, a large-scale longitudinal survey-based study, linking managers and their team members.
Her supervisors are Matthew Jellis and Dr. Helen Scott.
In addition to working towards her PhD, Gill works as an academic researcher for West Midlands Police.
Qualifications
BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance, 1990, University of the South West
MSc Psychology, 2011, The Open University
MSc Psychology, 2012, University of Worcester
MSc Occupational Psychology, 2013, University of Worcester