There are people who reject policies and norms in manners that can harm the organisations in which they work. Such people may resort to the abuse of office resources, lie to colleagues, participate in blackmail or distribute sensitive, confidential data without authorisation. They may also pull malicious pranks or communicate offensively to stir outrage intentionally.
Such counter-normative behaviours in the workplace, referred to as workplace deviance, can cripple an organisation’s well-being. Though deviants may constitute a minority, their impact on productivity, performance, staff morale and workplace culture can be colossal. Lance Ferris, an organisational behaviour and human resources professor at Singapore Management University (SMU), notes, “Deviant behaviours, or behaviours initiated by employees that contravene organisational norms, can collectively cost organisations billions of dollars per year.” The fall of Enron and WorldCom provide a case in point. And it is the ballooning costs to organisations that increasingly underscore the importance of identifying the factors that can lead to deviant behaviour.
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