How to Coach Yourself and Others Beware of Manipulation | Page 210

a deficiency of such significance that the employee feels the need to cover it up. These findings may
suggest that in today’s team-oriented, interconnected workplaces, covering-up all traces of one’s poor
performance isn’t completely possible.
Finally, the most destructive behavior in this study was the act of lying overtly (i.e., the “bald-faced”
lie). Employees who engage in such behavior damage the relationship they have with their supervisor,
a relationship that affects all aspects of their work life. Of course, not every lie needs to be uncovered
for this damage to occur. However, once a lie has been identified, the supervisor’s view of the
subordinate’s truthfulness and trustworthiness begins to be undermined.
Implications
To the extent that our results can be generalized, once an employee begins a deceptive IM campaign,
he or she will at some point begin to receive negative feedback (at least in the form of LMX and
performance reviews), which may serve to feed a vicious circle by motivating even more deceptive IM.
Indeed, this may be a difficult habit for an employee to break, even in the face of costly outcomes.
Nevertheless, just as a gambler’s winning streak must come to an end, a liar engaged in deceptive IM
will eventually be caught and face potentially harsh repercussions. Understanding a subordinate’s
motivations may be a key in explaining this apparently self-destructive behavior.
From the manager’s point of view, these results may seem like a vindication of sorts. Yes, although
your subordinates are trying to manipulate your impression of them by using deception, you appear not
to let these activities affect you so as to the benefit of the deceiver. However, a business culture of
acceptable dishonesty opens the door to a host of concerns. If your subordinates are willing to lie to
you to improve your impression of them, are they also lying to each other? And to customers?
Suppliers? Auditors? And what else are they willing to lie about? The potential damage unleashed by
an ethically permissive workplace may far exceed the lost labor of an employee taking a short nap
under his desk.
References
- Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M., & Tice, D. M. (1998). Ego depletion: Is the active
self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1252-1265.
- Carlson, J. R., & George, J. F. (2004). Media Appropriateness in the Conduct and Discovery of
Deceptive Communication: The Relative Influence of Richness and Synchronicity. Group Decision
and Negotiation, 13(2), 191-210.
- Carlson, J. R., Kacmar, K. M., & Carlson, D. S. (2005). Deceptive impression management: Does it
pay? Proceedings from Southern Management Association (SMA) Meetings, Charleston, S.C.
Source: Ivey Business Journal - http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/the-organization/lying-upon-the-job-does-deceptive-impression-management-work

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