Originally posted on LinkedIn on December 28, 2022

In September 1953, workers on the final wing assembly line at an airplane factory in New York were observed to determine the circumstances and rate in which they used a tap, a screw made of extremely hard steel. When inserted into a nut, a tap can cut new threads, making it possible to secure parts that don’t line up or are structurally flawed.

Even though the use of a tap was explicitly forbidden since they jeopardize the integrity of an airplane wing and possessing one can result in immediate termination, at least half the workers owned one. And in certain circumstances—when they couldn’t be observed, or their work inspected—they used them.[1]

The use of taps wasn’t just overlooked by coworkers, but it resulted in rule-breaking, with the deviant behavior viewed as necessary to meet production expectations. In a sense, what was “wrong” evolved to be “okay.”

While this example might seem irrelevant considering today’s exacting engineering, which makes taps unnecessary, it’s pertinent given our current political and socioeconomic environments, which rewards compliance and fosters trickle-down dishonesty.

Words and actions matter

Toddlers, when they begin to speak, are encouraged to “use their words” to communicate their needs and feelings. As they mature, they’re taught to share, take turns, respect others, use polite words, listen carefully, help others, tell the truth, and abide by rules.

These practices are expected to carry over into their lives as they start to attend school, interact with others, and expand their universe. Depending on their circumstances and relationships, these behaviors are either strengthened or eroded.  

“Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom” Thomas Jefferson

Our perceptions, no matter our age, are constantly swayed by what’s occurring around us. Before the internet, influencers were the people we interacted with at work, home and within our communities, media—newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV—and books.  The internet was a glorious influx of readily available information that made it easier to research issues, exchange ideas, and share insights.

What was a snap-crackle-and-pop of information exploded into today’s miasma of content—some factual, some editorialized, and a frightening amount, manufactured and contorted, scarcely attached to reality.

The bottom layer of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs consists of what’s necessary to exist at the most elementary level, including access to air, food, water, shelter, clothing, and place to sleep. When these aren’t available, it’s hard for one to subsist and realize their full potential. If you’re homeless and unable to purchase food and get a good night’s rest, securing and maintaining a job would be difficult.  

Honesty, like the physiological foundation of Maslow’s triangle forms the underpinnings of a progressive and nurturing society. While human nature disposes some to lying, cheating, stealing, and other malicious behaviors, a fulcrum of honesty points to the truth. When honesty becomes superfluous, there’s no way to know what’s true and what’s fabricated. And so, begins the erosion of society and faith in traditional institutions.

“Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty.” Plato

In 1994, Intel initially denied their Pentium P5 family of chips had a flaw that produced calculation errors. When the story exploded, Intel quickly backpedaled, recalling nearly a million flawed chips, and turning them into employee keychains inscribed with a message from then-Intel CEO Andy Groves, “Bad companies are destroyed by crises; good companies survive them; great companies are improved by them.”[2]

Aside from the expense of recalling the chips, Intel had to rally to protect their reputation. Evolving from this snafu was the concept of crisis communications, pioneered by Tim Coombs, a communications professor with Texas A&M who is known for his Situation Crisis Communications Theory.[3] Companies worldwide, now recognize the importance of responding truthfully during crises, lessoning and often preventing damage to their image and credibility.

Breaking the pattern

Logically, one would think honesty comes naturally. A Dutch study, however, asked prisoners, police detectives, patrol police officers, prison guards, customs officers, and college students to name the factors that indicate lying. The prisoners proved significantly more astute than any other group, perhaps because they live in a culture of deception, full of posing, buffs, and cons.[4]

That’s the catch. When one is inundated with falsehoods and misdirection, it becomes significantly more difficult to discern the truth.

“A man is not honest simply because he never had a chance to steal.” Yiddish proverb

We’re living in an environment where politicians, news media, celebrities, and other prominent individuals and organizations blatantly lie and make up misleading facts and statements every day. Multiple times per day. Sadly, it’s difficult to brush off this deception because it trickles down, corroding and blurring what passes for honesty.

The mechanic claims your brake pads are okay, the waiter assures you there’s no shellfish in the soup even though the chef used the same ladle in the bouillabaisse, the photos on a popular social media channel are misleadingly manipulated, and the dog didn’t eat the student’s homework because they never bothered to do it.

When people are inundated with dishonesty and duplicity, there’s no reward for integrity. It’s a frightening thought when you consider many of today’s issues aren’t local, but global, such as climate change, pandemics, cybercrime, and regional upheavals. A lie, distortion, puffery ricochets and amplifies much like chaos theory. A tiny instance creating unforeseen, adverse outcomes.

John Sweeney, owner of the Brave New Workshop, a sketch comedy and improvisational company in Minneapolis, MN, collected 365 ideas for how to make the world more civil. The resulting book, “Return to Civility” concludes with “act the way you want the world to be.”[5]

It’s not too late to turn trickle-down dishonesty into purposeful integrity and civility. It takes courage and discipline to speak out against distortion, question dubious news, and take responsibility when your actions impact others. And, it’s essential to break through false fronts[6] and uncover and evangelize what’s factual and rooted in science and reality.

Thank you to drz for his amazing photo on Unsplash

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[1] Crime and Punishment in the Factory: The Function of Deviancy in Maintaining the Social System,” Joseph Bensman and Israel Gerver, American Sociological Review, Vol 28, August 1963, pp. 588-598.

[2] Intel recalled a major chip in 1995 and turned them into keychains inscribed by the CEO — and the message speaks to Intel’s current crisis (yahoo.com), January 5, 2018

[3] Putting Out Fires: How Tim Coombs Blazed a Trail in Crisis Communications, August 19, 2020

[4] The Face, Daniel McNeill, Little, Brown, and Company, 1998, page 147.

[5] Return to Civility, A Speed of Laughter Project, John Sweeney & The Brave New Workshop, Aerialist Press, 2009

[6] In the 1890’s, it became customary to build a false front on commercial buildings, which extended above the roof, sometimes with windows that opened onto empty space. The name “false front” evolved to mean a pretense or display of sham.