via DealBook by By DEALBOOK on 8/20/10
Wonder how to tell when your boss is lying? Thanks to a study by David Larcker and Anastasia Zakolyukina of the Graduate School of Business at Stanford, some clues are at hand.
The Economist reported that the researchers analyzed transcripts of nearly 30,000 conference calls by U.S. C.E.O.’s and C.O.O.’s between 2003 and 2007 to detect which words each executive chose and how they were delivered.
The study’s authors relied in part on psychological studies about the “tells” people have when not being truthful and tested whether they were more common during calls in which profits, later found to be not entirely on the mark, were discussed.
The findings have been published in a paper titled “Detecting Deceptive Discussions in Conference Calls.”
Go to Article from The Economist »
Go to Paper on Deception on Conference Calls (PDF) »
The Economist reported that the researchers analyzed transcripts of nearly 30,000 conference calls by U.S. C.E.O.’s and C.O.O.’s between 2003 and 2007 to detect which words each executive chose and how they were delivered.
The study’s authors relied in part on psychological studies about the “tells” people have when not being truthful and tested whether they were more common during calls in which profits, later found to be not entirely on the mark, were discussed.
Deceptive bosses, it transpires, tend to make more references to general knowledge (“as you know…”), and refer less to shareholder value (perhaps to minimize the risk of a lawsuit, the authors hypothesize). They also use fewer “non-extreme positive emotion words.” That is, instead of describing something as “good,” they call it “fantastic.” The aim is to “sound more persuasive” while talking horsefeathers.
When they are lying, bosses avoid the word “I,” opting instead for the third person. They use fewer “hesitation words,” such as “um” and “er,” suggesting that they may have been coached in their deception.If a boss swears a lot, it’s also an indicator of fibbing, the study found.
The findings have been published in a paper titled “Detecting Deceptive Discussions in Conference Calls.”
Go to Article from The Economist »
Go to Paper on Deception on Conference Calls (PDF) »
