I study how people enable, encourage, and excuse others’ unethical behavior.
My first stream of research investigates when and why people turn a blind eye to deception. Whereas much research examines why people believe lies, my work helps explain why people excuse liars – such as job seekers who falsify their resumes, advertisers who misrepresent their products, and leaders who deceive the public.
My second stream of research explores the ethical perils of advice in organizations. Past research shows that advice can foster accurate judgments. I reveal how seeking, taking, and giving advice can enable unethical decisions.
My research is driven by the conviction that to understand ethical breakdowns in business, we must examine not only why people transgress, but also why many others are complicit. My work has been published in journals such as Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, and Organization Science, and has been covered in the Financial Times and Psychology Today.
I hold a Ph.D. in Organizational Behaviour from London Business School, and a B.Sc. in Psychology and an M.Sc. in Management from Queen’s University, Canada.