Incentives are a potent tool for shaping human behavior, but they’re famously tricky to get right. New research, published in Basic and Applied Social Psychology, has uncovered an alarming wrinkle that complicates incentives even more: they may make powerful people less ethical.
Powerful People React More Unethically to Incentives
Research shows they’re more likely to sell out their colleagues.
March 09, 2016
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Leading People. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What you need to know about being in charge.