Most of us probably agree that if we lied less, organizations and society would be better off. So how can we get ourselves to lie less often? Research conducted by behavioral scientists suggests some steps to recovery. We underestimate the degree to which we lie, we overestimate our morality compared to that of others. So step one is to admit the truth.

Lying is learned at a very young age. Negotiation research shows that we are more likely to lie in the future when our lies have succeeded or gone undetected in the past. Managers need to eliminate situations in which lying is available. If we want more honesty, we have to provide greater incentives for the truth.