Tapping into the Power of Social Contagion

Friends from Australia who recently moved to New York City were horrified when their name appeared on a list of donors to the private school their son attended. While it can be daunting to those unaccustomed to the practice, the main purpose of publicly acknowledging donors is to encourage others to give. Charities have found that if they publish the identity of donors, it encourages others to donate, either to be associated with those already on the list or as a way to fit in.

There are times though when we see other people breaking the rules and it makes it a lot easier for us to do the same. Think of driving. When everyone else on the freeway is travelling above the speed limit, chances are we will too. Why? No one really believes in the speed limit. That is, we don’t really accept the speed limit as the law. Plus we don’t often get caught and when we do it’s not that big of a deal.

So how do we encourage the contagion of good behavior?
These three ideas, used together, are a good place to start:
1. Allow behavior to be open and visible
2. Establish well understood norms
3. Insist on accountability

Coming up next:
You really can create a culture of integrity in your own corner of the corporate world. Here’s how.