Unethical Behavior At Work

Leadership

Podcast: Now’s the Time to Hone Your Moral Decision-Making Skills

Dilemmas are rarely black-and-white. On this episode of The Insightful Leader, we hear what fictional characters can teach us about today’s real-world quandaries.

Researchers: Brooke Vuckovic

Leadership

Podcast: Sure, Take That Zoom Call in Your Sweatpants. It Might Make You a Better Person.

When we stop compartmentalizing our home and work selves, we tend to act more ethically. Find out why on this episode of The Insightful Leader.

Researchers: Rima Touré-Tillery

Organizations

Most Employees Retaliate If They're Slighted at Work

Here’s how managers can break the cycle of office conflict.

Researchers: Lindsey Greco, Jennifer A. Whitson, Ernest O'Boyle, Cynthia S. Wang and Joongseo Kim

Organizations

Could Bringing Your "Whole Self" to Work Curb Unethical Behavior?

Organizations would be wise to help employees avoid compartmentalizing their personal and professional identities.

Researchers: Mahdi Ebrahimi, Maryam Kouchaki and Vanessa Patrick-Ralhan

Organizations

Are Women More Ethical at the Negotiating Table? It’s Complicated.

Plus, how women are judged differently when they break the rules.

Researchers: Jason R. Pierce, Leigh Thompson, Maryam Kouchaki, Laura J. Kray, Jessica Kennedy, Mary-Hunter "Mae" McDonnell and Nicole Stephens

Organizations

Are You Willing to Stretch the Truth While Negotiating?

It may depend on your gender and whom you are representing.

Researchers: Maryam Kouchaki and Laura J. Kray

Leadership

Does Your Company Actually Live Its Values?

Stating corporate principles is great; embodying them is better.

Researchers: Bernard Banks

Why Bosses Cut Some Employees Slack for Unethical Behavior

The same transgression can lead to different consequences. Here’s one reason why.

Researchers: Yajun Zhang, Kai Chi Yam, Maryam Kouchaki and Junwei Zhang

Social Impact

What Makes Deceit Such a Hard Habit to Break?

New research gets at the psychology behind serial misconduct.

Researchers: Maryam Kouchaki, Kyle Dobson, Adam Waytz and Nour Kteily

Organizations

Is It Too Hot to Help Out?

Why the thermostat may be the key to better customer service.

Researchers: Liuba Belkin and Maryam Kouchaki

Organizations

Sitting Near a High-Performer Can Make You Better at Your Job

“Spillover” from certain coworkers can boost our productivity—or jeopardize our employment.

Researchers: Michael Housman and Dylan Minor

Organizations

Should You Hire Someone with a Criminal Record?

Companies that give ex-offenders a fresh start may be rewarded with employees who stick around.

Researchers: Dylan Minor, Nicola Persico and Deborah M. Weiss

Policy

What Volkswagen's Emissions Scandal Can Teach Us about Why Companies Cheat

Tighter standards may backfire in industries with fierce competition.

Researchers: Kejia Hu and Sunil Chopra

Leadership

How to Help Prevent the Powerful from Abusing Their Privilege

High expectations for ethical behavior can keep powerful people in line.

Researchers: Miao Hu, Derek D. Rucker and Adam D. Galinsky

We Remember Our Coworkers’ Misdeeds, but What about Our Own?

“Unethical amnesia” helps preserve our positive self-image.

Researchers: Maryam Kouchaki and Francesca Gino

Employees Are More Likely to Cheat on Their Way out the Door

The temptation to act unethically is plentiful in the gig economy.

Researchers: Daniel A. Effron, Christopher J. Bryan and J. Keith Murnighan

How to Protect Yourself from an Unethical Boss

To ward off immoral requests, take a lesson from vampire lore.

Researchers: Sreedhari Desai and Maryam Kouchaki

Leadership

Podcast: How to Rid Your Company of Toxic Employees

Tips for how to avoid hiring them, manage their improvement, or decide when to let them go.

Researchers: Dylan Minor and Brenda Ellington Booth

Organizations

Hire a Superstar or Dump a Toxic Worker?

Difficult employees are a bigger drag on your company than you think.

Researchers: Michael Housman and Dylan Minor

How Citibank’s Culture Allowed Corruption to Thrive

Leaders can learn from a whistle-blower’s case against CitiMortgage.

Researchers: Adam Waytz

Leadership

Social Class Affects Why We Lie

The powerful are more likely to lie for their own benefit, and the powerless to help others.

Researchers: Derek D. Rucker, Adam D. Galinsky and David Dubois

Leadership

Why Bad Bosses Sabotage Their Teams

Bosses who crave power but fear they might lose it can undermine their teams’ productivity.

Researchers: Jon Maner and Charleen R. Case

Leadership

Are Bean Counters More Selfish?

Emphasizing a “calculative mindset” encourages people to act more selfishly and less ethically when making decisions.

Researchers: Long Wang, Chen-Bo Zhong and J. Keith Murnighan

Organizations

Rich and Unhappy—and Fine with Unethical Behavior?

Ethics, income, and feelings of well-being influence each other in unpredictable ways

Researchers: Long Wang and J. Keith Murnighan