An organization's culture is demonstrated by its habits. Overlooking or even rewarding questionable behavior sends the message that it is condoned or even encouraged. A study done by John Delaney and Donna Sockell at Columbia University reported that 40 percent of respondents who chose to act unethically were rewarded, either explicitly or implicitly. Determine the habits that send messages about the importance of rules and standards and you will discover the aspects of the organization's culture that influence integrity. Systems reinforce behavior.
Systems are the tools to promote efficiency and consistency.
They are powerful vehicles for developing habits though repetitious performance. Effectively designed systems in areas such as compensation, performance management and purchasing are important components of an environment that has grown beyond compliance to ethics and embraced integrity as a way of life. Otherwise, systems can unconsciously promote behavior that contradicts the organization's good intentions. Pressure to achieve results with limited resources. It is a challenge to maintain or increase productivity levels in times of decreasing resources.