Feeling Obliged to Follow
The Impact of Work‐Related Identity on Unethical Pro‐Organizational Behavior and the Role of Psychological Empowering
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21259331 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sabrina Jeworrek (0000-0001-7967-9383, Halle Institute for Economic Research, corresponding author), Christoph Ostermair (0000-0002-0743-6259, Universität der Bundeswehr München), Joschka Waibel (Halle Institute for Economic Research) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-04 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2694-6416 • E-ISSN: 2694-6424 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/beer.70093 |
| OpenAlex | W7160060517 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 74 |
This study examines why people engage in unethical pro‐organizational behavior (UPB) by focusing on an overlooked mechanism: the mere fact of being a subordinate at the workplace. To establish a causal relationship, we conducted an online experiment with 615 full‐time employees. We primed participants with private versus work‐related contexts before instructing them to follow a rule that was beneficial for the organization but potentially unethical. We find that individuals high in power distance orientation engage to a greater extent in UPB after being primed on their work‐related identity. Our results further emphasize that empowering leadership can mitigate this effect: For participants high in power distance, empowering messages eliminated the priming effect; their UPB levels matched those in the private control group. Thus, our study makes three key contributions: First, we add to the discussion of UPB antecedents. Second, we identify organizations that may be particularly vulnerable. Third, we point to strategies that could reduce UPB
Feeling · Ethics in Business and Education · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies · Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
Issues and Strategies for Reducing the Length of Self‐report Scales
Relaxing moral reasoning to win
Motivating and demotivating forces in teams
Feeling proud but guilty? Unpacking the paradoxical nature of unethical pro-organizational behavior
When Employees Do Bad Things for Good Reasons
Business culture and dishonesty in the banking industry
The Relationship Between Ethical Leadership and Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior
The Impact of Psychological Contract Breach on Work‐related Outcomes
Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement.
When role models go astray
You raise me up and I reciprocate
Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior
Advertising Primed
Exploring the Antecedents of Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior (UPB)
The Unintended Consequences of Empowering Leadership
Inclusive leadership and voice behavior
How and When Does Unethical Pro‐Organizational Behavior Lead to Organizational Deviance? A Moderated Dual‐Path Model
Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior Across the Cultures
Where there is light, there is dark
Good intentions, bad behavior
Development of the Work Locus of Control Scale
Moderating effects of national culture on the psychological contract breach and outcome relationship
Leadership Styles and Psychological Empowerment
Impact of Leadership on Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior
Employee Responses to Empowering Leadership
How do leaders foster morally courageous behavior in employees? Leader role modeling, moral ownership, and felt obligation
Reactions to psychological contract breach
Locus of control at work
Identity Salience and Psychological Centrality
Advancing Identity Theory
Bounded autonomy and behavioral ethics
Egoistic norms, organizational identification, and the perceived ethicality of unethical pro-organizational behavior
The self-importance of moral identity
Mechanisms of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency
Liberals and conservatives rely on different sets of moral foundations
Mapping the moral domain
Power Distance, Individualism/Collectivism, and Job-Related Attitudes in a Culturally Diverse Work Group
| Highly cited | No |
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