Read the Ethical Dilemma at the end of Chapter 16 called "Culture of Deceit."

Culture of Deceit

We have noted throughout the text that honesty is generally the best policy in managing OB. But that doesn't mean honest dealing is always the rule in business.

Studies have found, in fact, that whole industries may encourage dishonesty. In one experiment, subjects were first asked either to think about their professional identities or to take a generic survey. They were then asked to report on a series of coin flips; they were told in advance that the more times the coin showed heads, the more money they would make. The bankers who took the generic survey were about as honest in reporting coin flips as people who worked in other fields. The bankers told to think about their professional identities, however, exaggerated how often the coin turned up heads. People in other professions didn't do sothe tie between professional identity and dishonesty was unique to those who worked in banking. These results are certainly not limited to the banking industry. Many other ways of priming people to think about financial transactions seem to generate more dishonesty. And studies have also found that many individuals feel pressured to engage in dishonest behavior to meet the bottom line. Money provides powerful motives for dishonesty.

Money motivations are strong in professional sports. For example, the number of top leaders in FIFA (Fdration Internationale de Football Association, the international governing body of association football [soccer], futsal, and bea

1. What are the negative effects of a culture that encourages dishonesty and corruption on its reputation and employees?

2. Why might some organizations push employees to behave in a dishonest or corrupt manner? Are there any personal benefits to corruption that culture can counteract?

3. What actions can someone take as a new employee if they are pressured to violate ethical standards at work? How might mid-level employees' responses to this question differ from those of more senior managers?