Chapter 2
Cognitive Dissonance
Jacquie Lipscomb was hired at KT Industries (KTI) not only because she had all the
technical skills required for the job, but also because she had a personal passion for the
well being of the environment. Her boss, Carl Damon, was excited by her commitment
to recycling; it’s what set her apart from the other applicants.. While environmentalism
wasn’t something Carl felt particularly strong about personally, he hoped that Jacquie
would bring a certain level of awareness to other employees, including himself.
Jacquie’s personal interest in pollution prevention dated back to her grade school days
when she tracked what happened to all the paper put in the trash in each classroom. After
learning it ended up in the landfill along with all the other rubbish, Jacquie implemented
a school-wide recycling program. To this day, all “extra” paper or waste is put in a
separate trash container which is sent to a recycling factory and used to make reusable
consumer goods. Jacquie is proud of this accomplishment.
Jacquie threw herself into her work at KT I. Carl was impressed with both her
Carl’s nonchalant response about the paper recycling program working in the corporate
and regional offices had not reassured Jacquie. She felt like she had been deceived. That
night at home, she contemplated her future with KTI She felt torn between her
commitment to the company and her personal values of recycling. She wondered, “If
they have not been open about the actual, behind the scene steps with the recycling
program, are there other business aspects that they are not being open about?
Discuss Jacquie’s dilemma in terms of cognitive dissonance.
How could this new information on KTI’s willingness to fully commit to “going green”
affect Jacquie’s perception of the company she works for? What impact could this have
on her overall performance?
Are her personal values around recycling strong enough to determine who she works for?
With new knowledge that the company is not carrying out the recycling plan in the way
Do you think Jacquie should ignore the company’s failure to address violations in the
recycling program or not and just keep doing her job?
Is she willing to walk away from a good paying job with benefits?
Are there other employers who are likely to be more open to recycling programs, and
should she pursue opportunities with those companies?