Liar Liar, Campus on Fire: How to cope with dishonest colleagues

Women in STEMM can face a difficult path in academia; senior women leaders often face challenges associated with isolation and the novelty of breaking new ground.  Being lied to or about by colleagues can make that path even more difficult and a tough job even harder. Senior women leaders have an opportunity to disrupt cultures of dishonesty and thereby improve academic environments.

By Patricia A. Maurice

5 March 2024, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10629006

A great deal of attention has focused on academic research ethics, and many funding agencies, universities, and research laboratories require formal ethics training.  I have observed, however, that far less attention has focused on the more general issue of dishonesty in academia and how to deal with it as a senior woman leader. Academics tend to be ambitious and are often under enormous pressure to excel, which can lead to various problematic and even childish behaviors, including dishonesty.  While there are different motivations for lying, I focus here primarily on lies intended to advance one’s own career or damage someone else’s, whether the motivation is consciously malicious or not.

Despite the topic of this post, I have encountered many colleagues—male and female— in academia who are scrupulously honest with extremely high ethical standards.  These are the people I’ve tried to learn from and emulate.

Why do people lie in the workplace? 

In an article titled “Why people lie at work—and what to do about it,” [1] management consultant Liz Kizlik identifies three main reasons why employees lie: (1) fear of upsetting someone or triggering conflict, (2) not wanting to expose their inadequacies, and (3) trying to serve their own ends. Kizlik recommends trying to figure out why a person is lying so you can decide on what action to take. Reasons (1) and (2) generally call for frank and open discussion such as why honesty helps you, as a leader, do your job more effectively, or what concrete steps can be taken to help overcome inadequacies. 

Kizlik warns that people who lie for the third reason can be “trickier to deal with because their lying often takes the form of subtly or not so subtly undercutting their team members.” Moreover, “Pointing out the lie can often push them to “lie better” to achieve their desired result.”  [1] Selfishness can be a powerful motivating factor for some individuals.  

Personally, I’ve found that some academics seem to lie simply because they believe they can get away with it.  For example, I’ve observed a male colleague repeatedly joke about lying to a dean or provost because (paraphrasing) ‘he’ll never know; he’s way too busy to check.’  I often wondered why he felt the need to brag about lying and whether any of the lies backfired. Academics tend to be very smart people, and some seem to think they can outsmart everyone around them.

Unfortunately, some academics make a career out of bad-mouthing other faculty.  This bad-mouthing can include telling lies, sometimes creative and outrageous ones.  While bad-mouthing is common, it should be discouraged as unprofessional.

Drawing a line

I’m sure most people would understand that telling a wealthy donor their idea sounds great even when it isn’t is simply being politic.  To be a good leader, one needs to think about what ‘lies matter’ and when and how to draw a line. 

A lie that corresponds to illegality or that compromises safety must be addressed quickly and decisively.  For example, I’ve seen instances of faculty members who, when short of funds, use an incorrect budget code in a way that could not have been a simple transcription mistake.  It is unacceptable to make ‘tactical errors’ hoping that a new grant will come in soon or that someone else will pay for your research. Repeatedly failing to label hazardous samples to avoid following correct laboratory protocols (whether due to inadequacy/incompetence, to make the work easier, or because of a contempt for rules) puts everyone at risk. 

Dishonesty that damages a colleague’s reputation or potential for career advancement can prevent women from advancing in academia.  Sadly, it seems that female faculty often fall victim to damaging lies by male colleagues.  Of course, men can do this to each other, and women to women, as well. 

A few examples of ‘yes this really happened’

Example 1: A technician in an external laboratory assured a PI that samples were being run using a specific protocol. In fact, a different, easier protocol (which was subject to interferences) was being used.  Eventually, the PI caught the technician ‘red handed’ and discovered that the technician had been lying about sample protocols for years and to many researchers.

Example 2:  A member of a faculty committee dishonestly told a female graduate student that he was working on her dissertation for more than a year.  Whether he was lying because he did not want to trigger conflict, did not want to appear unable to balance commitments or had some dispute with her advisor, the effect was a long-delayed graduation. 

Example 3:  In the formal evaluation of a female faculty member of color, one colleague’s opposition appeared to stem in part from culturally associated interpersonal conflicts.  This is perhaps not surprising because, “In addition to historically racist and sexist institutional policies, women of color consistently encounter prejudice in interpersonal interactions based on their marginalized status in both race and gender.” [2]   The opposing faculty member stated that although the candidate’s teaching evaluations were excellent, a high proportion of students dropped out of her class early each semester, raising a red flag. Not stated, however, was information that the course was scheduled in a timeslot with a historically high dropout rate; an oversight that seemed disingenuous.

Example 4:  When a female professor was under review for promotion, the argument was made that her teaching evaluations had dropped precipitously in recent semesters.  Because of misleading presentation of the data, the reality that the 'precipitous drop’ (from perfect scores to numbers well above departmental and college averages) was actually very small was obscured.  

Example 5:  Several male faculty members who were in control of a fellowship discontinued funding for a female faculty member’s student, on the stated grounds of ‘ineligibility’. This was announced in front of other students in an embarrassing manner that involved several untruths, compounding the distress of the student losing funding.  The female faculty member presented clear documentation that the student was eligible, as had been confirmed repeatedly in writing.  Even though the student’s funding was shifted to grant funding, the process suggested to other students that they might be publicly humiliated or lose a fellowship if they chose to work with a female advisor.

In these cases, the key to successful solutions that prevented career derailment was leaders who were skeptical, asked questions, demanded evidence, and were willing to listen dispassionately and review documentation. While these examples all involved problems faced by female faculty, researchers, or students, men can fall victim to similar problems. 

Special challenges women may face

Women in academia can face special challenges with respect to dishonesty in the workplace.  Since men and women often communicate differently [3], one must ask whether deliberate dishonesty was involved or simply miscommunication. Given that the majority of senior faculty (i.e., full professors in the US) in STEMM are men [4, 5], women are often in subordinate roles or isolated.  Women faculty, including leaders, in STEMM often have few friends and mentors among their colleagues to help navigate problems with coworkers or to build strong defenses when problems arise. Women can also face challenges to their authority from men who are not used to women in leadership roles.  No one wants to be accused of lying, least of all by someone whose authority they do not respect.  In my experience, both in academia and government research labs, men seem reluctant to acknowledge inadequacy to a female supervisor.  When a woman attempts to counter perceived dishonesty in a male colleague, the longstanding ‘he said she said’ trope can arise carrying a legacy of social baggage. When a woman needs to be assertive to defend herself against a lie, she may be labelled a problem woman, damaging her career trajectory. Although many academics may be subject to bad-mouthing and smear campaigns, including lying, the damage can be especially severe for women in STEMM who already face an uphill battle. Anything that drives women away from academia or damages their careers hurts efforts for equity and inclusion.

Gender differences can make it hard to get to the root of dishonesty and figure out how to move past it. At times, I’ve found myself thinking ‘I’m trying to solve a problem while you (male colleague) seem more concerned with exerting dominance and winning the discussion’.  One time, when I pointed out unprofessional behavior on the part of a senior male colleague, he claimed that I wanted ‘special nice’ behavior just like his daughter.

I’ve observed how hard it can be, as a woman, to stand up to a bullying colleague and how hard it can be for women to defend against lies intended to disempower or disenfranchise them.  The American Association of University Women (AAUW) reviewed how stereotypes and biases, including implicit (or unconscious) bias have affected the status of women in leadership [5].  “Whereas men are socialized to be confident, assertive, and self-promoting, cultural attitudes toward women as leaders continue to suggest to women that it is often inappropriate or undesirable to possess those characteristics.” Moreover, women who are forceful and assertive can be labelled ‘hysterical’ (or worse), as evidenced by comments made about then-US senator (now US Vice President) Kamala Harris [6].  I’ve also observed that when a woman tries to defend herself against a dishonest colleague, she can be stereotyped as a ‘problem woman,’ as ‘hysterical’ or as exaggerating the issues.  I’ve known instances where even when a woman successfully defended herself against lies, plagiarism, etc. her career was damaged for years afterwards.  

Authors of a study titled “Gender similarities and differences in dishonesty,” concluded that “men are often more dishonest than women, especially in competitive settings where lies advance self-interest.  However, gender differences in dishonesty are often small and mutable across situations.” [7] Another experimental study focusing on lying, gender, and gender interactions reported that ‘men tend to state bigger lies than women, and state the largest lies when paired with women.’ [8] Both of these finding suggest worrisome situations for women in male-dominated fields and that more study of gender differences in lying might prove helpful to senior women leaders trying to figure out how to address lying. 

Some suggestions for preventing or dealing with lying

It’s important to stand up against dishonesty; if you don’t do it, who will? Given how hard it can be, here are some suggestions you might consider, in list form. Distributing a copy of this list to all faculty could open a discussion of honesty and would be especially useful for new female faculty members and female senior leaders. 

(1)   Be savvy enough to realize that many people lie, exaggerate, can be self-centered and/or have bad memories.  Don’t be overly paranoid but be prepared to be lied to and about.

(2)   As a senior leader, try to ensure that team members have adequate training and know what you expect of them, that they understand that honesty will help you do a better job, and that while they may not be used to a female supervisor, you will be honest and fair.

(3)   If you are interviewing for a leadership position and sense a culture of dishonesty, especially ‘at the top’ trust your intuition and avoid the institution.  If you are being brought in specifically to create a cultural shift, evaluate whether you will be given necessary tools/authority and whether the organization is ready for change.

(4)   Upper-level administrators in any organization set the tone for the entire organization, so lead by example. Don’t say ‘yes’ unless you have the ability, time, and resources to follow through. Have integrity in your statements and actions. Do not allow systemic or repeated dishonesty within your organization to continue un-checked. Transparency is a good disinfectant.

(5)   Know your institution’s faculty handbook, chain of command, and what legal advice is available.

(6)   Keep a ‘paper trail’.  Put important decisions in writing, keep contemporaneous notes, and if necessary, arrange to have a trusted witness (or legal advisor) attend an important meeting.

(7)   Build alliances with powerful high integrity individuals.  Having someone to confer with and/or back you up when you need to make a difficult decision or when you are the target of lies can be a lifesaver.

(8)   Try to avoid putting people of questionable integrity or who are incompetent into positions of power such as a department chairmanship, deanship, or institute/center directorship.  Surround yourself with competent people of integrity.

(9)   If you are the subject of a lying campaign, even if you succeed in derailing it, strongly consider going on the job market and at the very least stay marketable because next time, the liar(s) might have learned to be more effective.

Finally, although this list may seem discouraging, my closing advice is:

(10)  Don’t let problem people keep you from being optimistic, setting ambitious goals, and trusting people who have shown they are deserving.  Working with ethical and honest colleagues to achieve shared goals is one of the great joys of a leadership position. [10]

Questions for further thought:

(1)   Have you, suffered from a colleague’s dishonest behavior directed at you? If so, how did you deal with it? How did it affect your morale and your career trajectory?

(2)   Have you experienced success in effecting a culture change to a more collegial environment with greater trust and transparency? If so, are you willing to share your secrets of success?

(3)   Is honesty always the best policy? Are there times when dishonesty is acceptable? 

References cited and notes

[1] Kizlik, L., Why people lie at work—and what to do about it. Harvard Business Review, June 24, 2021; https://hbr.org/2021/06/why-people-lie-at-work-and-what-to-do-about-it

[2] Lin, P.S. ad Kennette, L.N. 2022. Creating an inclusive community for BIPOC faculty: women of color in academia. SN Social Sciences, 246. https://dio.org/10.1007/s43545-022-00555-w

[3] Lakoff, R.T. 1975. Language and women’s place: Text and commentaries. Harper Collins. New York.

[4] American Society for Engineering Education. 2022. Profiles of Engineering and Engineering Technology, 2021. Washington, D.C.

[5] American Association of University Women, 2016. Barriers and Bias: The Status of Women in Leadership. AAUW.

[6] Caprino, K. Gender bias at work—Why men call forceful women ‘hysterical’ and try to silence them. Forbes. January 15, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2017/06/15/gender-bias-at-work-why-men-call-forceful-women-hysterical-and-try-to-silence-them/?sh=19e60d0d3ea2

[7] Kennedy, J.A. and Kray, L.J. 2022. Gender similarities and differences in dishonesty. Current Opinion in Psychology, vol. 48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101461.

[8] Jung, S., and Vranceanu, R. 2017. Experimental evidence on gender differences in lying behavior. Revue Économique 2017, vol. 68. 859-873. https://doi.org/10.3917/reco.pr3.0097

[10] https://www.epistimi.org/blog/the-joys-of-being-a-senior-woman-leader    

[11] Patricia Maurice thanks Janet Hering for comments that helped to clarify and condense this post.