Negative organizational dynamics as enabler of white-collar crime
| Author | Petter Gottschalk |
| Published date | 01 June 2018 |
| Date | 01 June 2018 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1461355718763455 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Negative organizational dynamics
as enabler of white-collar crime
Petter Gottschalk
BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway
Abstract
Policing white-collar crime continues to be a critical issue for law enforcement all over the world. Organizational dynamics
is an interesting perspective on white-collar crime. Organizational dynamics can cause a downward spiral, leading to
misconduct and crime. During the downward spiral, the tendency to commit white-collar crime increases. It becomes
more convenient to commit crime in comparison with alternative actions when crises or opportunities emerge.
Convenience theory suggests that white-collar crime can be an attractive option for executives and others in the elite.
In this article, negative organizational dynamics is explained by institutional theory, social disorganization theory, slippery
slope theory, neutralization theory, and differential association theory.
Keywords
Convenience theory, white-collar crime, institutional theory, social disorganization theory, slippery slope theory,
neutralization theory, differential association theory, financial crime
Submitted 08 Sep 2017, Revise received 02 Jan 2018, accepted 13 Jan 2018
Introduction
Policing white-collar crime continues to be a critical issue
for law enforcement all over the world. Organizational
dynamics provides an interesting perspective on white-
collar crime. Negative organizational dynamics can enable
white-collar crime and make deviant behavior more con-
venient for offenders (Leap, 2007; Zahra et al., 2007). Ever
since Edwin Sutherland (1939) coined the term white-
collar crime, researchers in the field have emphasized the
value of preventing and detecting financial crime by exec-
utives and other members of the elite in society (Piquero
and Benson, 2004). White-collar crime is here defined as
financial crime committed by members of the elite during
the course of their occupation where they have legitimate
access to resources based on position and trust. The typical
profile of a white-collar criminal includes someone with
high social status, considerable influence, and access to
resources (Blickle et al., 2006; Dearden, 2016; Fu
¨ss and
Hecker, 2008). White-collar crime is committed during the
course of an occupation where the offender can carry out
and conceal the offense among legal activities within the
organizational context (Arnulf and Go ttschalk, 2013). A
white-collar offender is someone with respectability and
high social status who commits financial crime during the
course of his or her occupation (Leasure and Zhang, 2017).
The theory of convenience attempts to integrate various
theoretical explanations for the occurrence of white-collar
crime from sociology, psychology, management, organiza-
tional behavior, criminology, and other related fields to
shed light on different perspectives of convenience. Con-
venience is a relative concept concerned with efficiency in
time and effort as well as reduction in pain and solutions to
problems (Engdahl, 2015; Gottschalk, 2017). Convenience
orientation refers to a person’s general preference for
maneuvers characterized by the avoidance of pain and sav-
ings in time and effort. A convenience-oriented person is
one who seeks to accomplish a task in the shortest time with
the least expenditure of human energy. A convenience-
oriented individual is not necessarily bad or lazy. On the
Corresponding author:
Petter Gottschalk, BI Norwegian Business School, Nydalsveien 37, 0484
Oslo, Norway.
Email: petter.gottschalk@bi.no
International Journalof
Police Science & Management
2018, Vol. 20(2) 116–123
ªThe Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1461355718763455
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