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• Article | Journal of Experimental Social Psychology | May 2019

  A Counterfeit Competence: After Threat, Cheating Boosts One's Self-Image

  S. Wiley Wakeman, Celia Moore and F. Gino

  In six studies, we show that after experiencing a threat to their abilities, individuals who misrepresent their performance as better than it actually is boost their feelings of competence. We situate these findings in the literature on self-protection. We show that this “counterfeit competence” effect holds when threat is measured (Study 1), manipulated (Study 2), and when the opportunity to cheat is randomly assigned (Study 3). We extend our findings to a workplace context, showing that threatened individuals who lie on a job application feel more capable than those who report them honestly (Study 4). Finally, consistent with the argument that counterfeit competence is driven by self-protection, we find individuals do not predict they would experience such a boost (Study 5) and that cheating after threat offers benefits similar to those provided by other established methods of self-protection (Study 6). Together, our findings suggest that, after threat, misrepresenting one’s performance can function as a mechanism that helps to restore positive self-evaluations about one’s capabilities.

  Keywords: Cheating; self-perception; self-protection; Competency and Skills; Identity; Perception; Performance;

  Citation:

  Wakeman, S. Wiley, Celia Moore, and F. Gino. "A Counterfeit Competence: After Threat, Cheating Boosts One's Self-Image." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 82 (May 2019): 253–265.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2017 (Revised April 2019)

  Webasto Roof Systems Americas: Leadership Through Change (A)

  Francesca Gino and Paul Green Jr.

  Webasto Roof Systems, Americas, the North American subsidiary of Germany-based Webasto Group, limped into 2014 in poor financial and operational shape. The company's early optimism emerging from the financial downturn had proven naive, and now, five years later, the company was consistently losing money and was battling severe operational challenges affecting quality and threatening customer relationships. Furthermore, senior leadership had completely turned over three times in the five-year period. Now, the new—and young—leadership is attempting to navigate that crisis and repair the organization, which was full of skittish and disengaged employees. Philipp Schramm, the new CFO, must figure out how to enact positive change with a team of unenthusiastic employees and a near-toxic culture.

  Keywords: culture change; Change Management; Leading Change; Crisis Management; Organizational Culture; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; North and Central America;

  Citation:

  Gino, Francesca, and Paul Green Jr. "Webasto Roof Systems Americas: Leadership Through Change (A)." Harvard Business School Case 917-015, May 2017. (Revised April 2019.)  View Details

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• Article | Journal of the Association for Consumer Research | April 2019

  Rituals and Nuptials: The Emotional and Relational Consequences of Relationship Rituals

  Ximena Garcia-Rada, Ovul Sezer and Michael I. Norton

  Four studies reveal the benefits of relationship rituals: couples with relationship rituals report more positive emotions and greater relationship satisfaction and commitment than those without them. We show that rituals are crucial for understanding consumption practices in romantic relationships. Using a sample of romantic dyads, we identify a novel moderating role of mutual agreement, such that both members of a couple must agree that they have a ritual: different couples can see the same consumption behavior (e.g., paying for a weekly date night) as either a ritual or a routine, and the benefits accrue only to those couples who jointly view it as a symbolically meaningful ritual. We contribute to the literature on rituals by empirically documenting the relationships between rituals, specific emotions, and relationship satisfaction, and by demonstrating that the same sequence of actions can have different psychological effects due to the role of mutual agreement. Finally, we contribute to research on consumers’ shared experiences by suggesting a novel mechanism for committing to such experiences: relationship rituals.

  Keywords: rituals; Relationship Satisfaction; Relationships; Satisfaction; Spending; Behavior; Perception; Emotions;

  Citation:

  Garcia-Rada, Ximena, Ovul Sezer, and Michael I. Norton. "Rituals and Nuptials: The Emotional and Relational Consequences of Relationship Rituals." Journal of the Association for Consumer Research 4, no. 2 (April 2019): 185–197.  View Details

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