The more you value integrity, the less likely you are to be corrupted…
Integrity in leadership is something that has been called into question in recent weeks — particularly when looking to the UK and the ongoing pressures the government has faced in the wake of the “partygate” investigations. Boris Johnson might have promised the public a better, more responsible premiership going forward (and he’s shaken up his cabinet to prove it) but are these efforts reflective of a genuine commitment to doing better, or an attempt to save his own skin?
It all depends on where his morals lie. New research conducted by by a group of professors from ESSEC, Zeppelin University, and European University Viadrina has found that moral commitment predicts resistance to corruption.
Professor Stefan Linder (ESSEC) and his colleagues, Prof. Carmen Tanner (Zeppelin University) and Professor Matthias Sohn (European University Viadrina) aimed to understand characteristics that lead some individuals to quickly adopt corrupt practices when faced with a corrupt environment in the workplace, whilst others appear to be more resistant to corruption.
Their study, published in “PlosOne”, involved administering an online survey to assess demographic information and various personal values and characteristics. Approximately three weeks later, the 225 participants who responded to the survey then took part in a fully incentivised bribery game.
From the data gathered by the survey and the game, the researchers found that individuals are more likely to reject bribes when they are willingly committed to moral principles. The more they experience a sense of compromising their integrity, the less likely they are to accept a bribe. They see these moral values as ‘protected’ — not for sale.
This also means, the researchers say, that individuals have a higher level of “Honesty-Humility”- characteristics such as sincerity, fairness, greed avoidance, and modesty.
The results, the researchers believe, are important in helping organisations to run more ethically.
“Shedding more light on why people differ in their susceptibility to engage in corruption not only promises to enhance our understanding of why we see within-company variations in corrupt behaviour, but also helps to refine policy recommendations,” says Professor Linder.
Has Boris Johnson considered the honesty and humility of his Cabinet in his recent reshuffle? It seems that, for Number 10’s culture to truly change for the better, he will need to.
