Title: Understanding rule breaking: antecedents and consequences for better strategies

Authors: Ekta Duggal; Harsh V. Verma

Addresses: Department of Commerce, Motilal Nehru College, University of Delhi, Delhi – 110021, India ' Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi – 110007, India

Abstract: India is one of the most over regulated countries but is also highly uncompliant. The pervasiveness of this phenomenon makes it appear a dominant normative way of conduct. This study sought to uncover deeper meanings that transgressions hold for the violator. The contextualisation for this purpose takes this behaviour as bearing an imprint of psycho-social-cultural and historical underpinnings. The study adopted a qualitative inductive approach and data were collected by depth probes. The transcripts were analysed using interpretive method. Rule breaking is caused by social, individual, cultural and institutional factors and it is instrumental in delivering consequences at the personal and social level which renders it desirable. The implication of this study is that a pure legalistic approach to curbing violations without altering the meaning held subjectively in the mind is ineffective.

Keywords: rule defiance; enforcement; cultural meaning; pride; descriptive norms; emotional consequences; rationality.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2021.117923

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2021 Vol.24 No.1, pp.121 - 140

Received: 05 Dec 2019
Accepted: 13 Aug 2020
Published online: 04 Oct 2021 *

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