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The relationship between ethical leadership and unethical pro-organizational behavior: linear or curvilinear effects?
journal contribution
posted on 2013-09-01, 00:00 authored by Q Miao, Alexander Newman, J Yu, L XuIn this study, we examine the nature of the relationship between ethical leadership and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB), defined as unethical behavior conducted by employees with the aim of benefiting their organization, and whether the strength of the relationship differs between subordinates experiencing high and low identification with supervisor. Based on three-wave survey data obtained from 239 public sector employees in China, we find that ethical leadership has an inverted u-shaped (curvilinear) relationship with UPB. As the level of ethical leadership increases from low to moderate, UPB increases; as the level of ethical leadership increases from moderate to high, UPB decreases. Further, we find that the strength of this inverted u-curve relationship differs between subordinates with high and low identification with supervisor. That is to say, the inverted u-shaped relationship between ethical leadership and UPB was stronger when subordinates experienced high levels of identification with supervisor. The theoretical and managerial implications of our findings for understanding how to manage UPB in an organizational context are discussed. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
History
Journal
Journal of business ethicsVolume
116Issue
3Pagination
641 - 653Publisher
SpringerLocation
Ann Arbor, MichPublisher DOI
ISSN
0167-4544eISSN
1573-0697Language
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal articleCopyright notice
2013, SpringerUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
Social SciencesBusinessEthicsBusiness & EconomicsSocial Sciences - Other TopicsCurvilinear relationshipEthical leadershipIdentification with supervisorSocial exchange theorySocial learning theoryUnethical pro-organizational behaviorCORRUPT PRACTICES ACTTRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIPIDENTIFICATIONSELFIDENTITYMODELCITIZENSHIPPERSPECTIVEPERFORMANCECLIMATE
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