Toward Understanding Employees 'Responses to Leaders' Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior: An Outcome Favorability Perspective.
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| Title: | Toward Understanding Employees 'Responses to Leaders' Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior: An Outcome Favorability Perspective. |
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| Authors: | Cai, Yahua1 (AUTHOR) cai.yahua@shufe.edu.cn, Wang, Haoding2 (AUTHOR), Schuh, Sebastian C.3 (AUTHOR), Li, Jinsong1 (AUTHOR), Zheng, Weili1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Business Ethics. Jun2024, Vol. 192 Issue 1, p79-95. 17p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Employee attitudes, Professional ethics, Misconduct in business, Organizational behavior, Organizational citizenship behavior, Trust, Leaders, Scandals |
| Abstract: | The uncovering of several recent corporate scandals has brought to light unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) in organizations. A growing body of research has provided insights into employees' UPB and its antecedents. However, our understanding of leader UPB and its effects remains limited. In this study, we develop and test a theoretical model that explains employees' responses to their leader UPB. By drawing on the theory of motivated reasoning and the trust literature, we posit that, in general, leader UPB is linked to unfavorable responses from employees such as a lower perception of leaders' trustworthiness, which, in turn, reduces the citizenship behaviors of employees. However, our model also shows that these effects do not emerge automatically but depend on a crucial boundary condition—followers' outcome favorability, or the extent to which followers personally benefit from leader UPB. Specifically, we contend that negative responses to leader UPB arise mainly when followers' outcome favorability is low but decrease significantly when followers' outcome favorability is high. The results of two multi-wave, multi-source field studies support our hypothesized model. These findings offer a new, instrumental perspective on followers' responses to unethical leader behaviors, with valuable theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Business Ethics is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 177481549 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Toward Understanding Employees 'Responses to Leaders' Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior: An Outcome Favorability Perspective. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cai%2C+Yahua%22">Cai, Yahua</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> cai.yahua@shufe.edu.cn</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wang%2C+Haoding%22">Wang, Haoding</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Schuh%2C+Sebastian+C%2E%22">Schuh, Sebastian C.</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Jinsong%22">Li, Jinsong</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zheng%2C+Weili%22">Zheng, Weili</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Business+Ethics%22">Journal of Business Ethics</searchLink>. Jun2024, Vol. 192 Issue 1, p79-95. 17p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employee+attitudes%22">Employee attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Professional+ethics%22">Professional ethics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Misconduct+in+business%22">Misconduct in business</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+behavior%22">Organizational behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+citizenship+behavior%22">Organizational citizenship behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Trust%22">Trust</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Leaders%22">Leaders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scandals%22">Scandals</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The uncovering of several recent corporate scandals has brought to light unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) in organizations. A growing body of research has provided insights into employees' UPB and its antecedents. However, our understanding of leader UPB and its effects remains limited. In this study, we develop and test a theoretical model that explains employees' responses to their leader UPB. By drawing on the theory of motivated reasoning and the trust literature, we posit that, in general, leader UPB is linked to unfavorable responses from employees such as a lower perception of leaders' trustworthiness, which, in turn, reduces the citizenship behaviors of employees. However, our model also shows that these effects do not emerge automatically but depend on a crucial boundary condition—followers' outcome favorability, or the extent to which followers personally benefit from leader UPB. Specifically, we contend that negative responses to leader UPB arise mainly when followers' outcome favorability is low but decrease significantly when followers' outcome favorability is high. The results of two multi-wave, multi-source field studies support our hypothesized model. These findings offer a new, instrumental perspective on followers' responses to unethical leader behaviors, with valuable theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Business Ethics is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s10551-023-05535-5 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 17 StartPage: 79 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Employee attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Professional ethics Type: general – SubjectFull: Misconduct in business Type: general – SubjectFull: Organizational behavior Type: general – SubjectFull: Organizational citizenship behavior Type: general – SubjectFull: Trust Type: general – SubjectFull: Leaders Type: general – SubjectFull: Scandals Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Toward Understanding Employees 'Responses to Leaders' Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior: An Outcome Favorability Perspective. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Cai, Yahua – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Wang, Haoding – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Schuh, Sebastian C. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Li, Jinsong – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Zheng, Weili IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 06 Text: Jun2024 Type: published Y: 2024 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 01674544 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 192 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Business Ethics Type: main |
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