Power can corrupt even the honest

I wish this had more details. It sounds like the more honest people might still have been more honest than the initially dishonest after time passed, but it is unclear from this synopsis, and I don't have access to the original article.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-10/e-pcc100114.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 1-Oct-2014

Contact: Sacha Boucherie
Elsevier

Power can corrupt even the honest
New research, published in The Leadership Quarterly, highlights the influence of power in leader corruption

When appointing a new leader, selectors base their choice on several factors and typically look for leaders with desirable characteristics such as honesty and trustworthiness. However once leaders are in power, can we trust them to exercise it in a prosocial manner?

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After completing psychometric tests to measure various individual differences, including honesty, participants played the 'dictator game' where they were given complete control over deciding pay-outs to themselves and their followers. The leaders had the choice of making prosocial or antisocial decisions, the latter of which resulted in reduced total pay-outs to the group but increased the leader's own earnings.

The findings showed that those who measured as less honest exhibited more corrupt behaviour, at least initially; however, over time, even those who initially scored high on honesty were not shielded from the corruptive effects of power.

"We think that strong governance mechanisms and strong institutions are the key to keeping leaders in check," concludes Antonakis. "Organisations should limit how much leaders can drink from the seductive chalice of power."

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