{"id":26952,"date":"2021-09-30T05:08:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-30T05:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=26952"},"modified":"2021-10-01T05:44:31","modified_gmt":"2021-10-01T05:44:31","slug":"r-kelly-was-aided-by-a-network-of-complicity-common-in-workplace-abuse-that-enabled-crimes-to-go-on-for-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/r-kelly-was-aided-by-a-network-of-complicity-common-in-workplace-abuse-that-enabled-crimes-to-go-on-for-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"R. Kelly was aided by a network of complicity \u2013 common in workplace abuse \u2013 that enabled crimes to go on for decades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Peggy Cunningham<\/a>, Dalhousie University<\/a><\/em> and Minette Drumwright<\/a>, University of Texas at Austin<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

R&B singer R. Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking charges<\/a> on Sept 27, 2021, having been exposed as the ringleader of a decades-long scheme to recruit girls, boys and women to have sex with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the six-week long trial, jurors heard harrowing testimony from a succession of survivors of Kelly\u2019s abuse<\/a>. Witnesses also revealed how members of the 54-year-old\u2019s entourage assisted, enabled and helped cover up<\/a> the singer\u2019s crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As professors who have<\/a> researched unethical behavior<\/a> for many years, we found the patterns revealed in Kelly\u2019s trial to be classic examples of how unethical, even criminal, conduct can persist in organizations for long periods of time, often as an open secret and often supported by others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the \u2018bad apple\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our studies of unethical<\/a> and illegal behavior<\/a> \u2013 from fraud to sexual harassment \u2013 have looked at sectors including business, journalism, health care, sports and government. We found that despite policies and laws designed to prevent it, such behavior is rife in many organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there is a tendency to focus on the \u201cbad apple\u201d \u2013 the perpetrator and their despicable behavior \u2013 in cases of unethical behavior, our research<\/a> demonstrates the need to look beyond the individual to understand how and why unethical behavior thrives and persists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repeatedly, we have found that perpetrators<\/a>, such as Kelly, do not act alone. They tend to have active enablers \u2013 groups we call \u201cnetworks of complicity\u201d who support the abuse in various ways. They also have passive enablers \u2013 groups we label \u201cnetworks of complacency\u201d who turn a blind eye to what is happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all workplaces, people are embedded in networks of social relationships that they value and want to maintain. However, we found that if someone falls prey to the charms of a predator \u2013 usually powerful men, such as Kelly \u2013 they gradually lose their perspective. Their desire to be \u201cpart of the team\u201d comes to dominate other considerations, including norms of ethical behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These enablers often do not intend to do bad things, but bad behavior is contagious<\/a> and biases can blind them to their own increasingly bad conduct. They are also subject to situational and organizational pressures, like conforming with others or trying to please powerful figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running interference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Kelly\u2019s trial, the prosecution produced 45 witnesses who provided evidence of managers, assistants, bodyguards and other members of Kelly\u2019s entourage who not only recruited and delivered underage girls and boys for Kelly to have sex with<\/a>, but also covered for him and fixed problems for the singer when they occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have heard stories such as Kelly\u2019s time and time again: A charismatic leader uses their star power and rewards<\/a>, but also fear and intimidation<\/a> to draw individuals from inside and outside their organization into a loyal network of supporters. The supporters do their leader\u2019s bidding, run interference and deflect criticism<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The perpetrators control and shape information and build myths to enhance their expertise and greatness. Members of the network of complicity fall victim to such storytelling and myth-building<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our research \u2013 like the evidence in Kelly\u2019s trial \u2013 demonstrates that bad behavior metastasizes and spreads through the network of complicity<\/a>. The prosecution provided evidence that members of Kelly\u2019s network also behaved illegally and unethically<\/a>. For example, a former tour manager, Demetrius Smith, testified that he bribed an Illinois state employee<\/a> to get a fake ID for underage R&B Singer, Aaliyah, so that Kelly could marry her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, the bad behavior of the perpetrator and the network creates a toxic organizational culture<\/a> in which abuse and unethical acts become the norm and everyone in the organization suffers, not just victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our research also shows that typically many people beyond the network of complicity know about the bad behavior but act as bystanders<\/a> unwilling to report abuse or take action to stop it. They form a network of complacency that, through its passivity, also enables the perpetrator\u2019s bad behavior to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prosecution in Kelly\u2019s case provided evidence that Kelly was enabled by a silent network<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lifting the veil on abuse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The question that many people will have is how could people in Kelly\u2019s networks have allowed themselves to go along with such blatantly unethical \u2013 and now we know, criminal \u2013 activities for so long?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our research shows that network members often suffer from \u201cmoral myopia<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a condition in which ethical issues do not come clearly into focus at the time of the abuse \u2013 and \u201cmoral muteness\u201d \u2013 in which people do not raise or talk about ethical issues even among other network members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can also be governed by self-interest bias. It was certainly in the self-interest of those surrounding Kelly to build his brand, contribute to his success, earn his favor and keep their jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This self-interest bias can blur moral vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a framing bias, in which events are portrayed and presented in a misleading light. In closing arguments, the defense lawyer framed Kelly\u2019s behavior<\/a> as that of \u201ca playboy\u201d and that he was only engaged in \u201ckinky sex,\u201d which is \u201cnot a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Kelly\u2019s inner circle framed the star\u2019s behavior in this way, it would seem less horrific and abusive to them, and could be rationalized or dismissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If persistent unethical behavior is to be stopped, convicting perpetrators alone is not enough. Our research suggests that networks of complicity also need to be addressed and the behavior of enablers exposed and where appropriate punished. Organizational leaders can learn to identify not just perpetrators but also their networks of complicity. Meanwhile, network members themselves need to be shown that it is in their self-interest to expose perpetrators, like Kelly, and lift the veil themselves on the great harm abusive behavior causes.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Over 110,000 readers rely on The Conversation\u2019s newsletter to understand the world.<\/em> Sign up today<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peggy Cunningham<\/a>, Professor of Business, Dalhousie University<\/a><\/em> and Minette Drumwright<\/a>, Associate Professor of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Texas at Austin<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Peggy Cunningham, Dalhousie University and Minette Drumwright, University of Texas at Austin R&B singer R. Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking charges on Sept 27, 2021, having been exposed as the ringleader of a decades-long scheme to recruit girls, boys and women to have sex with. During the six-week long trial, jurors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":26953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[293,8025],"tags":[206,6661,196,10572,53,10574,10571,3552,10573,10575,2577],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26952"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26952"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26954,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26952\/revisions\/26954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}