What organizations really teach
This episode explores how organizations shape behavior through the gap between declared values and lived values. It argues that culture is not what leaders say, but what they reward, tolerate, and promote. The discussion connects ethical fading, toxic systems, psychological safety, and promotion practices that reinforce bad behavior. The central message is simple: organizations teach people how to succeed, and sometimes they teach the wrong lesson.
REFERENCES
Cappelli, P., Tavis, A., and Travers, M. “How You Promote People Can Make or Break Company Culture.” Harvard Business Review, January 1, 2018. https://hbr.org/2018/01/how-you-promote-people-can-make-or-break-company-culture
Deci, E. L., and Ryan, R. M. “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being.” American Psychologist 55, no. 1 (2000): 68–78. https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/2000_RyanDeci_SDT.pdf
Gehman, J., and Singh, J. “The (Bounded) Role of Stated-Lived Value Congruence and Authenticity in Employee Evaluations of Organizations.” Organization Science (published online April 25, 2022). https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/orsc.2022.1578
Kish-Gephart, J. J., Harrison, D. A., and Treviño, L. K. “Bad Apples, Bad Cases, and Bad Barrels: Meta-Analytic Evidence About Sources of Unethical Decisions at Work.” Journal of Applied Psychology 95, no. 1 (2010): 1–31. Referenced through ethical fading source context.karengelhaar.agnesscott [https://karengelhaar.agnesscott.org/download/browse/95CvBG/EthicalFading.pdf]
Sull, D., Sull, C., and Zweig, B. “How to Fix a Toxic Culture.” MIT Sloan Management Review, September 27, 2022. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-fix-a-toxic-culture/
The Center for Self-Determination Theory. “Theory.” Accessed April 18, 2026. https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/
University of Rochester Medical Center. “Self-Determination Theory of Motivation.” Accessed April 18, 2026. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/community-health/patient-care/self-determination-theory
When It Comes to Culture, Does Your Company Walk the Talk? MIT Sloan Management Review, July 20, 2020. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/when-it-comes-to-culture-does-your-company-walk-the-talk/
A concept analysis of psychological safety. National Library of Medicine / PMC, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8685887/
Understanding Ethical Fading: An Invisible Corporate Culture Threat. SAI360, April 7, 2024. https://www.sai360.com/resources/grc/understanding-ethical-fading-an-invisible-corporate-culture-threat-blog
