The default tendency is for companies to frame goals in terms of promotion, and what we show here is that this might actually lead to cheating as a side effect
In trying to encourage good moral conduct, it's common for a company to come up with a list of don'ts—wording policies such that they focus on unethical behavior employees should avoid rather than on ethical acts they should strive to achieve. Don't cheat. Don't lie. It's a tendency that dates back to the Ten Commandments, the vast majority (eight) of which dictate what thou shalt not do.
This article was provided with permission from Harvard Business School Working Knowledge.