It is easy to condemn obvious wrongdoers such as Elizabeth Holmes, Harvey Weinstein, and the Sackler family. But we rarely think about the many people who supported their unethical or criminal behavior. In each case there was a supporting cast of complicitors: business partners, employees, investors, news organizations, and others. And, whether we鈥檙e aware of it or not, almost all of us have been complicit in the unethical behavior of others. In Complicit, Harvard Business School professor Max Bazerman confronts our complicity head-on and offers strategies for recognizing and avoiding the psychological and other traps that lead us to ignore, condone, or actively support wrongdoing in our businesses, organizations, communities, politics, and more.
Complicit tells compelling stories of those who enabled the Theranos and WeWork scandals, the opioid crisis, the sexual abuse that led to the #MeToo movement, and the January 6th U.S. Capitol attack. The book describes seven different behavioral profiles that can lead to complicity in wrongdoing, ranging from true partners to those who unknowingly benefit from systemic privilege, including white privilege, and it tells the story of Bazerman鈥檚 own brushes with complicity. Complicit also offers concrete and detailed solutions, describing how individuals, leaders, and organizations can more effectively prevent complicity.
By challenging the notion that a few bad apples are responsible for society鈥檚 ills, Complicit implicates us all鈥攁nd offers a path to creating a more ethical world.
Awards and Recognition
- Winner of the Silver Medal in Business Ethics, Axiom Business Book Awards
Max H. Bazerman is the Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He is the author of many books, including Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What鈥檚 Right and What to Do about It (with Ann E. Tenbrunsel) (Princeton), Decision Leadership (with Don A. Moore), Better, Not Perfect, and The Power of Noticing. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his spouse, Marla.
"Bazerman鈥檚 catalog of complicity is sobering. His explanations for why it happens are convincing, and toward the book鈥檚 end he attempts to set out what we can do to counter it."鈥擩ulian Baggini, Wall Street Journal
鈥淢ost of us feel like we鈥檙e doing the right thing (or at least not doing the wrong thing) most of the time. In Complicit, Max Bazerman argues that we are often mistaken, particularly when our actions (or inactions) enable the wrongdoing of others. I鈥檓 convinced. Required reading for anyone who wants to improve the world and themselves.鈥濃�擜ngela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
鈥淚n this important and insightful book, Max Bazerman explains the reality behind wrongdoing and how to stop it.鈥濃�擲teven Pinker, author of Enlightenment Now and Rationality
鈥淐omplicity is one of the most important ethical issues of our time鈥攜et one of the least explored. Max Bazerman鈥檚 careful, humane analysis, filled with terrific stories, data, and concrete lessons, is an invaluable contribution to a better world.鈥濃�擟ass R. Sunstein, author of Sludge: What Stops Us from Getting Things Done and What to Do about It
鈥�Complicit is a masterpiece and should be required reading for every aspiring leader. Through captivating stories, Bazerman shows us how easy it is to support wrongdoers and wrongdoing. Happily, he also reveals steps we can all take to avoid being complicit.鈥濃�擪aty Milkman, bestselling author of How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
鈥淢ax Bazerman has convinced me that it takes a village to do wrong鈥攁nd that many of us live in that village. Complicit may be Bazerman鈥檚 most personal and powerful book yet.鈥濃�擠olly Chugh, author of The Person You Mean to Be and A More Just Future
鈥淚t is said that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Using wide-ranging evidence and letting no one off the hook, including himself, Max Bazerman鈥檚 Complicit is a unique and bold book that will help you stop collaborating in enterprises that are opposed to your own values.鈥濃�擬ahzarin R. Banaji, Harvard University
鈥�Complicit is a potent moral vaccine. Sure, you鈥檙e no villain. But are you perceptive and courageous enough to act when villainy asks you to look the other way? Bazerman鈥檚 book will sharpen your vision and stiffen your spine. And for a book that will make you a better person, it鈥檚 far more entertaining than it should be. Get inoculated, and pass it on.鈥濃�擩oshua Greene, author of Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them
