Unpacking the lived experiences of corporate bribery: a phenomenological analysis of the common sense in the Indonesian business world

Purpose - This study aims to investigate the meaning and lived experiences of Indonesian businesspeople who are engaged in corporate bribery. Design/methodology/approach - This study takes a phenomenological approach to gain a deeper and more intense understanding of the real-life experiences of top executives, middle managers and lower-level employees in private companies in a broad range of medium-to-large enterprises in Indonesia. Findings - The analysis resulted in three themes regarding corporate bribery: reasons, rationalization and effects. The results provide a deep and intricate understanding of bribery in the organizational context in general and among Indonesian businesspeople in particular. Practical implications - This study has significant implications for practice because the results revealed how corporate bribery has been conducted and justified in the real practice of the Indonesian business world. Especially for managers who work in multinational corporations, they should consider the results of this study to avoid bribery practices in Indonesia. Originality/value - To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the reasoning and mindset of focal people who committed wrongdoings in the Indonesian business world. The findings provide evidence that businesspeople are imbued with the calculating rationality of a profit-focused mindset.