Everybody may commit serious crimes or unethical behaviours at work if they do not notice the horrible Slippery-Slope effect. Does this sound terrified? Unfortunately, this is the truth proved by many facts and studies. Basically, this theory is about how people tend to rationalize and find excuses for their slight unethical behaviours and before they could notice, things just snowball into something huge. Good examples are Madoff and Jayson Blair. Both of them used to be successful but after crossed the guideline once, they couldn’t help themselves to do more cheating in order to achieve bigger goals.
Although these two are extreme examples, Slippery-Slope effect does happen in our daily life. For example, if a business does not have strong ethical guidelines, employees are more likely to perform unethical behaviours and the business won’t be well managed. Even I will hand in my assignment after the due date if the professor did not tell me the consequences of breaking the rules.
Fortunately, this effect can be prevented by setting clear and strong ethical outlines in companies. If people know exactly what they can do and what they should never try and what consequences they may face if they cross the line, people can be stop from making their first steps across the line.
NEVER MAKE THE FIRST STEP CROSS THE GUIDELINE!!!
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140806-the-slippery-slope