James, Where dishonesty is part of the corporate culture, there will be significant negative costs associated with its practice in the workplace. You don’t have to embezzle $600 million to be dishonest at work. How about lying about what time you got to work? What about sneaking out for thirty minutes while at work or playing an online game on your employer’s time? How about calling in sick to work and lying about being ill? How about taking products home from work and justifying it by telling yourself how hard you work and that you deserve these stolen products?
The list of small dishonesties could go on for pages. But the truth is, you begin with the justification of dishonesty in the smallest of things, and then you grow numb to feeling guilty about being dishonest.