Cheating: The Act of Purposeful Lying

In summary, the process of “thinking about my thinking” is applied using the following techniques:
* Self-reflection: Developing and applying a “trigger” when the compulsion to lie or cheat emerges. This will require some practice to be aware of one’s own feelings and compulsions. The trigger may be a simple self-reminder to “WAIT- Let me think about that! ” before acting. Engaging in regular self-reflection on one’s own thinking processes and feelings can be powerful, and particularly effective when applied “in-the-moment” when the compulsion to lie or cheat emerges.
* Evaluation: Regularly evaluating the effectiveness of one’s thinking and emotions and making adjustments when they move one to lie or cheat.
* Seeking feedback: Seeking feedback from others to better understand one’s own thinking processes and areas for improvement. This approach is fundamental the “5-Steps” described above.
* Developing metacognitive skills: Practicing metacognitive skills, such as paying attention to one’s own thoughts and feelings and exploring them – “why am I feeling like this? Why do I feel compelled to lie in this situation, why do I feel this need … and so on”.

Engaging the “Hard Stuff”

It’s not just about the “Soft Stuff” (People, Behavior and Culture). It’s also the “Hard Stuff” (Processes, Rules, Training and Policies) As the comedian Bill Murray quipped, “Why did the corporate executive cross the road? To get to the other side of the truth and hide their lies (tracks), of course!” In the corporate setting, it is important to make sure that employees cannot “cross the road” and hide their tracks. Ethical behavior needs to be embedded into the fabric of the company. Here are some ways to accomplish this:
* Spell It Out: As noted previously, ethical behavior cannot be flexible – make sure everyone knows the rules, and what happens if they bend them.
* Basic Ethics 101: Give employees a crash course in right and wrong, so they know what’s acceptable and what’s not (but, as noted previously, don’t expect these kinds of training courses to make the difference in isolation).
* “Snitch” Hotline: Set up a system where employees can squeal on their co-workers anonymously, because who doesn’t love a good tattletale? This hotline needs to be in context of the entire “insider threat” program to ensure that co-workers who “snitch” are not considered snitchers, but good Samaritans.
* No moaning: Let employees know that they can come forward without fear of retaliation, but there are rules about how to do this – frivolous moaning is not ok.
* Big Brother Is Watching: Make sure there are plenty of eyes on the prize to catch any sneaky behavior before it gets out of hand. Front line managers in particular can (and should) be aware what behaviors to look for which may suggest cheating and putting the company at risk.
* “Trust Falls” (But don’t try this at home!): Encourage an atmosphere of open communication and honesty, where employees feel comfortable “falling” by being open with their viewpoints and providing feedback. An example of this open discussion is the 5-Steps process described above.
* “We The People”: Find out what employees are really thinking about with anonymous surveys and other confidential methods. Ethnographic methods (noted above) provide powerful insights given that they are “in-the-moment”, informal discussion amongst colleagues.

It is important to address cheating and lying in a prompt, fair, and consistent manner to maintain a positive organizational culture – perceptions of favoritism for example, can destroy an entire process for resisting cheating, lying and other forms of unethical behavior.