ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the organizational evil from the perspective of social psychology. It focuses on the causes and processes of organizational evil. For this purpose, a sufficient guideline is that the evil exists in the eye of the beholder. Therefore, the term organizational evil is used to refer broadly to any organizational activity that causes people to feel victimized. Victim accounts might seem more vivid, moving, or worthy of attention, but they are insufficient for a full understanding of evil. From the terrorist's perspective, the victims of their attacks are not really innocent, and they view themselves as victims fighting against the forces of evil. The four root causes of evil are: the desire for material gain, idealism, threatened egotism, and sadism. Numerous factors make organizational evil distinct from evil perpetrated by individuals. Diffusion of responsibility within an organization reduces the incentive for members to act ethically. Organizations have the potential to act as powerful sources of moral authority.
