It’s well-known that accusing someone of unethical behavior — whether that accusation is founded or unfounded — can lead to retaliation against the accuser. Our recent research, however, suggests that in addition to this potential for negative fallout, leveling an accusation (even one with tenuous basis in reality) can also benefit the accuser in two ways: 1) even baseless accusations can plant seeds of doubt, reducing trust in the target, and 2) making accusations can signal that the accuser has high integrity, and thus boost trust in the accuser.
Does Accusing a Coworker of an Ethical Lapse Hurt Your Credibility?
While leveling an accusation can sometimes lead to retaliation against the accuser, new research shows that it can also benefit the accuser in two key ways: Making accusations can reduce trust in the target, and boost trust in the accuser — regardless of the evidence (or lack thereof). The authors conducted a series of experiments looking at a number of different scenarios, and consistently found that perceptions of trustworthiness increased after an accusation was made. Importantly, these findings do come with the caveat that personal biases can eliminate or even reverse these effects: If you’re biased against the accuser, you’re less likely to start trusting them just because they’ve leveled an accusation against someone. But unless you’ve got strong preconceptions that color your judgement, simply witnessing an accusation can significantly increase your trust in the accuser. Based on this research, the authors share three strategies to help managers handle accusations in the workplace, including building awareness, balancing skepticism with curiosity and open-mindedness, and mitigating the cultural impact of accusations on the organization.