Ten Steps to Creating Evil Traps for Good People

Philip Zimbardo analyzes elements of an organization that make wrongdoing more likely.

1. Offering an "Ideology so that a big lie" provides justification for any means to be used to achieve the seemingly desirable, essential goal.
1. Achieve "our" EPS target (commitment masquerading as a goal)
2. Group psychology can lead to evil acts by individuals supporting the goal
3. Mixed Messages: If you don't meet the quota while upholding the standards of the organization, you're toast!
4. "Ends" achieved justify the "Means"
2. Arranging some form of contractual obligation, verbal or written, to enact the behavior.
1. Employment agreement(s)
2. Confidentiality agreements limit transparency
3. New hire orientation used to exhort adherence to rules which have been altered; "you are not following the rules which we agreed to
3. Giving employees meaningful roles to play (manager, director, mentor) that carry with them previously learned positive values and response scripts.
4. Presenting basic rules to be followed, that seem to make sense prior to their actual use, but then can be arbitrarily used to justify mindless compliance. Make the rules vague and change them as necessary.
1. Is it illegal? Is it legal? Vs. Is it the right thing to do?
2. How will outsiders view the action or decision vs. insider
3. Plausible deniability
4. Separating authority and responsibility
5. Is it a high enough standard?
6. Open communication, "but what did so and so tell you about this…?"
5. Altering the semantics of the act, the actor, and the action, (from hurting victims to helping learners by punishing them) - replace reality with desirable rhetoric.
1. Protecting customers from their bad habits
2. ncentives to motivate suppliers that undermine worker safety or health
3. Incentives to motivate people to achieve goals at all costs
6. Creating opportunities for diffusion of responsibility for negative outcomes; others will be responsible, or it won't be evident that the actor will be held liable.
1. Separating authority and responsibility
2. Delegation, "My boss suggested that I do this. Who's responsible?
3. "Insulating" decision making from actions and consequences
7. Starting the path toward the ultimate evil act with a small, insignificant first step.
1. Worldcom - 13 quarters of ever increasing capitalization of expenses to $3.8 Billion
2. "slippery slope" concept; first lie is the toughest
3. Organization's need a "zero tolerance" policy. One strike and you're out for several offenses.
8. Having successively increasing steps on the pathway to evil be gradual, so that they are hardly noticed as being different from one's most recent prior action.
1. "cost plus project" incremental overruns
2. Unethical behavior become habitual, allowing moral disengagement
3. Values erode; at no time do you sense anything is wrong
9. Changing the nature of the influence authority from initially "Just" and reasonable to "Unjust" and demanding, even irrational, elicits initial compliance and later confusion, but continued obedience.
1. Loyalty factor; past respect for a manager or executive
2. Pressure to be a team player; desire to be consistent
3. Loyalty to the organization; keep doing the same (bad) things
10. Making the "exit costs" high, and making the process of exiting difficult by allowing usual forms of verbal dissent (that make people feel good about themselves), while insisting on behavioral compliance.
1. Career costs of being a whistle blower
2. Can we foster discussion and dissent effectively?