Organizational Cheating

Synonyms

Corruption; Entitlements; Fraud; Goal displacement

Definitions

Goal displacement: occurs when resources – tax dollars and other finite resources – are redirected for use in a manner that is not entirely consistent, or wholly inconsistent, with the organization’s mission.

Whistleblower: a person who reports cheating in an organization.

Introduction

Cheating is an unfortunately common human behavior prevalent in government organizations and programs, which are comprised and administered by individual actors and subgroups. Around the world, cheating typically impacts the poorest or less fortunate in society the most, with many contending that it is both a major source of poverty and a cause of it. It occurs at all levels of society and within many branches of government and across the private sector.

Many types of government and organizational cheating have at their heart what social scientists and experts call goal displacement. Goal displacement happens when resources – tax...