Can One Rogue Employee Corrupt A Whole Team

We've all heard it being said that one bad apple spoils the barrel. We've heard stories across the media and entertainment industries of rogue agents and undesirable, non-conforming elements. But just how true is it? Can one employee acting out of step really corrupt those around them? As a business owner or manager, it's a premise that needs to be considered.

Research published by the Harvard Business Review (HBR) proves to be depressing reading. Drawing from a wide sample across multiple workplaces, the study found that misconduct would increase amongst previously exemplary employees if a they were situated with someone committing malpractice. What's worse, cases where malpractice decreased due to positive influence were few and far between, showing that bad behaviour is more easily learned than good.