A growing number of people these days do not seem to want to “do the right thing,” but rather “what they can get away with.” Celgene’s Calvin London discusses the significant effect this behavior can have on compliance culture.
I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard someone say, “everyone wants to do the right thing.” Twenty years ago, people would say this with confidence, because in many respects we lived in a world where we did not see (or did not choose to see) the wrongs that happened every day – or perhaps we were a better-behaved society then.
Today when professionals make this claim, it is posed more as question than a statement. So, in answer to those good folks – no, everyone does not want to do the right thing. Many people just want to do what they can get away with!
This has a profound effect on the functioning of a company both from an internal employee perspective and from interactions with the outside, such as those with third parties and vendors. It is not surprising that changes in DOJ guidance focus on risk. If people feel there is a way to avoid “the right thing to do,” it stands to reason there will be a need for stronger vigilance and monitoring to manage the increased risk.
Very few people still have enough of a conscience to actually do the right thing….
