Leaders matter morally
The role of ethical leadership in shaping employee moral cognition and misconduct.
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23324820 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Celia Moore (0000-0001-6671-6632, University of Management and Technology), David M Mayer (0000-0001-7631-9825, Ross School), Flora F T Chiang (0000-0001-8531-7012, Division of Human Resource Management), Craig Crossley (0000-0001-9023-8730, University of Central Florida), Matthew J Karlesky (Suffolk University), Thomas A Birtch (University of South Australia) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 104 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 123-145 |
| Publication date | 2019-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Applied Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-9010 • E-ISSN: 1939-1854 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1037/apl0000341 |
| PMID | 30221953 |
| OpenAlex | W3121193550 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 65 |
| References cited | 49 |
There has long been interest in how leaders influence the unethical behavior of those who they lead. However, research in this area has tended to focus on leaders' direct influence over subordinate behavior, such as through role modeling or eliciting positive social exchange. We extend this research by examining how ethical leaders affect how employees construe morally problematic decisions, ultimately influencing their behavior. Across four studies, diverse in methods (lab and field) and national context (the United States and China), we find that ethical leadership decreases employees' propensity to morally disengage, with ultimate effects on employees' unethical decisions and deviant behavior. Further, employee moral identity moderates this mediated effect. However, the form of this moderation is not consistent. In Studies 2 and 4, we find that ethical leaders have the largest positive influence over individuals with a weak moral identity (providing a "saving grace"), whereas in Study 3, we find that ethical leaders have the largest positive influence over individuals with a strong moral identity (catalyzing a "virtuous synergy"). We use these findings to speculate about when ethical leaders might function as a "saving grace" versus a "virtuous synergy." Together, our results suggest that employee misconduct stems from a complex interaction between employees, their leaders, and the context in which this relationship takes place, specifically via leaders' influence over employees' moral cognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Business ethics · Context (archaeology) · Ethical Leadership · Misconduct · Moderation · Political science · PsycINFO · Public relations · Social group · Social identity theory · Ethics in Business and Education · Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior · Law · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology
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Leadership, Psychology, and Organization Behavior
| Unique citing works | 65 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 9,29 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 63 |