It is not always possible for leaders, teams, and organizations to practice what they preach. Misalignment between words and deeds can invite harsh interpersonal consequences, such as distrust and moral condemnation, which have negative knock-on effects throughout organizations. Yet the interpersonal consequences of such misalignment are not always severe, and are sometimes even positive. This paper presents a new model of when and why audiences respond negatively to those who “say one thing but do another.” We propose that audiences react negatively if they (a) perceive a high degree of misalignment (i.e., perceive low “behavioral integrity”), and (b) interpret such misalignment as a claim to an undeserved moral benefit (i.e., interpret it as hypocrisy). Our model integrates disparate research findings about factors that influence how audiences react to misalignment, and it clarifies conceptual confusion surrounding word-deed misalignment, behavioral integrity, and hypocrisy. We discuss how our model can inform unanswered questions, such as why people fail to practice what they preach despite the risk of negative consequences. Finally, we consider practical implications for leaders, proposing that anticipating and managing the consequences of misalignment will be more effective than trying to avoid it altogether.

领导，团队和组织并不总是能够实践他们的讲道。言行之间的错位会引起严重的人际关系后果，例如不信任和道德谴责，这会对整个组织产生负面的连锁反应。然而，这种错位的人际关系后果并不总是那么严重，有时甚至是积极的。本文提出了一种新的模型，用于说明何时，为什么观众会对“说一件事而做另一件事”的人做出负面反应。我们建议听众在以下情况下做出消极反应：（a）感知到高度错位（即，感知到低的“行为完整性”），（b）将这种错位解释为对不当道德利益的要求（即，将其解释为虚伪的） ）。我们的模型整合了各种不同的研究结果，这些研究结果影响着观众对不对中行为的反应方式，并阐明了概念上的混乱，如字面不对中，行为完整性和伪善。我们讨论了我们的模型如何能够解决未解决的问题，例如人们为什么尽管有负面后果的风险仍无法实践他们的讲道。最后，我们考虑对领导者的实际影响，并提出预测和管理错位的后果比尝试完全避免错位更为有效。