Collaborative Cheating in Hierarchical Teams: Effects of Incentive Structure and Leader Behavior on Subordinate Behavior and Perceptions of Leaders

Simon Tobias Schulz Karg; Minjae Kim; Panagiotis Mitkidis; Liane Young

doi:10.1177/01461672221090859

Collaborative Cheating in Hierarchical Teams: Effects of Incentive Structure and Leader Behavior on Subordinate Behavior and Perceptions of Leaders

Simon Tobias Schulz Karg^*, Minjae Kim, Panagiotis Mitkidis, Liane Young

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

What facilitates collaborative cheating in hierarchical teams, and what are its outcomes for those engaged? In two preregistered studies (N = 724), we investigated how subordinates are influenced by leaders signaling a willingness to engage in collaborative cheating, and how subordinates perceive such leaders. Participants performed a task in which they could either report their performance honestly, or cheat for financial gain. Each participant was assigned a leader who could choose to check the report’s veracity. In Study 1, leaders who checked less often were perceived as more moral, trustworthy, competent, and psychologically closer than leaders who checked more often. This trustworthiness bonus translated to investments in a subsequent trust game. Study 2 revealed that these relationship benefits specifically arise for collaborative cheating, compared to competitive cheating (at the leader’s expense). We conclude that collaborative cheating in subordinate–leader dyads strengthens in-group bonds, bringing people closer together and cultivating trust.

Original language	English
Journal	Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Volume	49
Issue	8
Pages (from-to)	1166-1183
Number of pages	18
ISSN	0146-1672
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672221090859
Publication status	Published - Aug 2023

Keywords

collaborative corruption
ethical decision-making
moral psychology
person perception
trust
Motivation
Deception
Humans
Trust
Morals

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10.1177/01461672221090859

Karg_2023_Collaborative_cheating_in_hierarchical_teamsAccepted manuscript, 2.52 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

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abstract = "What facilitates collaborative cheating in hierarchical teams, and what are its outcomes for those engaged? In two preregistered studies (N = 724), we investigated how subordinates are influenced by leaders signaling a willingness to engage in collaborative cheating, and how subordinates perceive such leaders. Participants performed a task in which they could either report their performance honestly, or cheat for financial gain. Each participant was assigned a leader who could choose to check the report{\textquoteright}s veracity. In Study 1, leaders who checked less often were perceived as more moral, trustworthy, competent, and psychologically closer than leaders who checked more often. This trustworthiness bonus translated to investments in a subsequent trust game. Study 2 revealed that these relationship benefits specifically arise for collaborative cheating, compared to competitive cheating (at the leader{\textquoteright}s expense). We conclude that collaborative cheating in subordinate–leader dyads strengthens in-group bonds, bringing people closer together and cultivating trust.",

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Collaborative Cheating in Hierarchical Teams: Effects of Incentive Structure and Leader Behavior on Subordinate Behavior and Perceptions of Leaders. / Karg, Simon Tobias Schulz; Kim, Minjae; Mitkidis, Panagiotis et al.
In: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 49, No. 8, 08.2023, p. 1166-1183.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Collaborative Cheating in Hierarchical Teams: Effects of Incentive Structure and Leader Behavior on Subordinate Behavior and Perceptions of Leaders

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