Bill Nelson

You go to a roadside market. The produce is sitting there, but there is no-one in sight. Do you leave the money as instructed or do you pick up the produce and just walk away?

You take your family to the movies and the sign on the counter reads children under 12 years of age are admitted free. Do you pay for the children over twelve or do all your children instantly become 11.5 years of age?

Walking around the supermarket and you start to eat the bunch of grapes sitting in the trolley. Do you pay for what is left or do you pay for what you originally put in the bag?

You book and pay for a hotel room for two people but do you then slip the kids in as well?

Honesty, particularly in the smaller type situations becomes an interesting phenomenon.

Some will say it doesn't matter how big or how small the situation, you should always be honest.

Some will take the Robin Hood type approach e.g: In their mind, if they can get an advantage by gaining something from someone who can afford it more than them, they are OK with that.

And then at the other end of the scale, there are those that will do whatever they can to make sure they are never financially (or any other way) disadvantaged.

Now rather than get into a debate about who is right and who is wrong, I want to ask you; Does the approach change when it becomes personal?

Does the element of integrity and honesty change when you are dealing with someone you know, or when you have to sign your name to something.

Does the level of integrity go up because it represents you, or in situations where you can and will be held accountable by someone else?

Think about the times when there is an expense form to fill in, or perhaps your tax return, and at the end of the form you have to sign your name saying the information is a true and accurate record of what is outlined?

When you get to that point, perhaps you have fudged the numbers a bit, how do you feel? Does the signature make it personal? Does having to sign your name to that document and the information contained within it change your approach?

Maybe for you it does, but for most it doesn't make much of a difference at all.

In a series of experiments, organised and overseen by Lisa L. Shu, Francesco Gino, and Max H. Bazerman, of Harvard University, along with Nina Mazar of the University of Toronto and Dan Ariely of Duke University, their research indicated that signing a statement at the end of a tax return or insurance premium review does nothing to promote honesty.

But here is the interesting thing about their promoting honest behaviour research. When they asked people to sign at the beginning of the document, their approach to honest and accurate information changed. Simply put:

Sign at the end of document = increased dishonesty

Sign at beginning of the document = increase honesty

Here is what the researches had to say:

“...simply moving the signature line from the end to the beginning of a form will bring one's moral standards into focus, right before it is most needed... When signing at the end of a form, the "damage" has already been done; by the time individuals have filled out the form, they have already engaged in various mental tricks and justifications that allow them to maintain a positive self-image despite having cheated."

So should your honesty change because you have to put your signature to something?

Should your honesty change because you maybe be held to account?

So should your honesty change because you have to sign at the beginning or end?

Should your honesty change for any reason?

Questions by me...Answers by you!

The Journey Continues!