Prerequisites For Collective Opportunism At Corporate Enterprises

Abstract

In today's context, sustainable behavior patterns are subject to alter in response to rapidly changing economic conditions. The behavior of corporate enterprise actors can be transformed into an opportunistic one. The focus on short-term prospects results in a breach of informal and formal terms and conditions of agreements with intent to increase personal benefits. According to the economic theories, opportunism is traditionally defined as a type of self-seeking behavior of an individual. Such behavior is typical of all economic agents and can be exhibited to varying degrees. The emergence of opportunism is considerably increased (including those actors who are not prone to it) if specific sustainable behavior patterns promote and encourage opportunistic behavior. Any collective work gives rise to the elimination of individual accountability for the end result, which leads to employees' demotivation and decreased performance. Each corporate actor's opportunistic behavior entails costs; however, the losses caused by collective opportunism are much more significant. The studies related to the conditions for such behavior can help develop effective measures to prevent it and to reduce the associated costs to a great extent. This article illustrates the conditions that can deter and foster possible collective opportunistic behavior at the corporate enterprise. There were identified three groups of factors that have a significant impact on establishing such conditions.