Leaders Matter Morally: The Role of Ethical Leadership in Shaping Employee Moral Cognition and Misconduct

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Moore, Celia; Mayer, David M.; Chiang, Flora F. T.; Crossley, Craig; Karlesky, Matthew J.; Birtch, Thomas A.
• 署名单位: Bocconi University; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan; China Europe International Business School; State University System of Florida; University of Central Florida; Suffolk University; University of South Australia
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0021-9010
• DOI: 10.1037/apl0000341
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 123-145
• 关键词: ETHICAL LEADERSHIP; MORAL DISENGAGEMENT; MORAL IDENTITY; Unethical behavior; employee deviance

摘要

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.