Why The Boss Cheats And Steals

Did you ever think the boss with the big desk in the corner office was a little less honest than you and your fellow cube-mates?

You might be right. But, it may not be the boss’s fault. It could be the office. A new study, The Ergonomics of Dishonesty (to be published inPsychological Science), shows that behavior is changed by our environment, and that people in less confining environments were more likely to steal and cheat.

The driving force in multiple experiments was found to be the subjects’ use of expansive “power” gestures. When one spreads ones arms wide, it increases feelings of power and dominance. This, in turn, has been found to increase dishonest behavior.

Stretch Farther, Steal More

The expansive gesture effect works even when it is artificially induced. In one experiment, the scientists had subjects perform a stretching exercise that was either an expansive or contractive gesture before performing a simple task. The researchers then deliberately overpaid the subjects, who had all been promised $4; they were actually paid $8 by substituting a $5 bill for one of the single dollars. Subjects who had performed the expansive gesture were more than twice as likely to keep the overpayment – nearly four out of five vs. just two.

Tiny Cubes Keep You Honest

Another experiment placed subjects in either a very cramped desk in a cubicle or one that allowed a greater range of motion. In each case, the subjects had to reach for materials to complete a test; the bigger desk area allowed for expansive gestures. When the subjects were given an answer key to self-grade their test, those able to stretch their arms more widely were more likely to secretly correct mistakes they had made prior to turning in the test.

Hit and Run

A third experiment put subjects in a driving simulator in either a cramped position or one where they could drive with their arms fully extended. They were offered a reward if they completed the circuit in a specified time, but were also instructed to stop for ten seconds if they hit something on the course. Those subjects in the expansive, extended arm position were less likely to stop after a collision.

Of course, frequent grand gestures may not be the only issue with the boss. While the ability to move one’s arms expansively may create an unconscious feeling of power, a person in a management position has other reasons to feel powerful. People in those position wield real power, and feedback from obsequious subordinates may emphasize their status.

The historian Lord Acton wrote,

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.

This may be an overly pessimistic world view, but Acton may have been onto something: merely using powerful gestures does boost unethical behavior.

Even Cube-dwellers Stretch

Remember, too, that very few of us are confined to tiny spaces – we all run the risk of altering our behavior by unconscious gestures!

Forbes.com