Cookies

Like most websites, the website of the University of Humanistic Studies uses cookies. Dutch regulations require websites to ask for approval the first time the site is visited. More information

Yes, I accept cookiesPreferences
EN NL

Rob van Eijbergen: ‘Integrity research requires clear quality criteria’


29 March 2024


"A whole industry has sprung up on integrity research while there are hardly any quality criteria for it," said professor Rob van Eijbergen in BNR's Rens de Jong's podcast Werkverkenners. Rens talked to three experts with experience in researching cross-border behaviour. Rob van Eijbergen, professor of organisational integrity at the University of Humanistic Studies, explained what is often lacking in this kind of research, and gave some tips. 


Quite a few things go wrong with integrity research, Rob van Eijbergen tells Rens de Jong. Together with PhD student Stijn Klarenbeek, he examined 30 research reports from recent times and in them a number of things stand out:


  • "It is not always clear what the research question is. Even if you start with a vague idea, it is important to get your question sharper first. Sometimes it turns out that there is no need to launch an investigation, and it can also be solved differently."
  • "A lot of research uses a flawed standards framework. For example, one report said 'We are not going to describe what social safety is, because that is the perception of the respondents'." That's not acceptable, according to Rob. "It is important to have a clear framework, and that simply exists in the literature."
  • "There are no facts in this kind of research, it's a lot about perception. So what is also important: if you want to look at transgressive behaviour, you also have to look at what happens in context. I call that the blame reflex. Most investigations are about the question 'Is someone guilty or not guilty?' If you want to move an organisation forward, it is much more interesting to look at what is happening around it. What happens in the interaction of people between each other?"
  • "Finally, the adversarial process is often flawed. In several investigations, only one party is spoken to."

He concludes by offering some tips to boards and executives in organisations with board responsibility: "Don't jump into a cramp right away. Hang above it and stay calm. Don't go and do the investigation yourself either, but first calmly see what is going on, and whether there are other ways to solve the problem. Don't immediately draw it into the question of whether someone is guilty alone. And if there is an investigation and the results are there, be transparent and throw open the windows." 


Listen to the podcast 'Eerste hulp bij fout gedrag' (in Dutch).

Course in Integrity Research

Rob van Eijbergen is currently developing a course in Integrity Research at the UvH Academy.

In a podcast, Rens de Jong talked to three experts with experience in researching cross-border behaviour. Professor Rob van Eijbergen explained what is often lacking in this kind of research, and gave some tips.