Corruption is an undesirable behavior where an employee willfully perverts rules, order, ideals, and trust in an organization. Today’s best managers keep an eye out for corrupt practices and stop them before they get out of hand. If corrupt behaviors are not stopped, then they can grow like a virus and can infect a workgroup, or even an entire organization. The result of unchecked corruption can be an organization with a culture of corruption that is deeply imbedded and transcends every process, and is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to stop.
Source: Ashforth, B. E., Gioia, D. A., Robinson, S. L., & Trevino, L. K. 2008. Re-viewing organizational corruption. Academy of Management Review, 33, 670-684.
