Compliance and the power of authority

Abstract

Compliance to authority is an integral part of how organizations operate. We use an experiment to show that compliance to a cue by an authority is a powerful motivating mechanism. We do this in an experiment where there are direct orders or indirect cues to destroy half of another participant's earnings at a cost to one's own earnings. Depending on the experimental treatment, up to around 60–70% of participants decide to comply with the orders or cues being provided.