Why and when does job satisfaction promote unethical pro-organizational behaviours? Testing a moderated mediation model

An Empirical Study on the Relationship Between Organisational Support and Unethical Pro-Organisational Behaviour of Medical Staff: The Mediation of Organisational Identification

Background

Due to the particularity of the services provided by the medical industry, medical staff need to not only be proficient in their professional skills, but also pay attention to the cultivation of ethical qualities. However, at present, the performance-oriented management system of medical institutions, imbalanced allocation of medical resources, and other problems are likely to cause unethical pro-organisational behaviour (UPB) among medical staff.

Objective

To explore the causes of pro-organizational unethical behaviors among health care workers from the perspective of employee-organizational relationships and to investigate the mechanism of organizational support perception on pro-organizational unethical behaviors.

Methods

A multi-stage sampling method was used to assess 322 health care workers from several tertiary and above public hospitals in China, using the Sense of Organizational Support Scale, the Organizational Identity Scale and the Pro-Organizational Unethical Behavior Scale.

Results

All dimensions of perceived organisational support (job support, concerns about employee interests, and value identification) significantly positively predicted organisational identification and UPB (p < 0.05). Organisational identification significantly positively predicted UPB (p < 0.05), and partially mediated the relationship between all three dimensions of perceived organisational support and UPB.

Conclusion

Medical institutions in China could positively guide medical staff through professional training to effectively avoid their UPB. Digital technologies, such as internet platforms, can also be used to increase job support for medical staff from outside the organisation. The recognition of the contributions of medical staff could be strengthened to enhance their sense of social identity and social responsibility, which may help effectively reduce their UPB.

A contingency perspective of pro-organizational motives, unethical pro-organizational behavior, and organizational citizenship behavior

Although the effects of pro-organizational motives on pro-organizational behaviors [i.e., unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)] and their boundaries have been explored to some extent, extant studies are rather piecemeal and in need of synthesis and extension. Based on prior motivational research on pro-organizational behaviors, we developed a comprehensive contingent model in which moral identity and impression management motives would moderate the links between pro-organizational motives, UPB, and OCB. Adopting a time-lagged design, we collected data from 218 salespeople in an internet technology service company in China. Results showed that pro-organizational motives were positively related to UPB and OCB. Moral identity weakened the impact of pro-organizational motives on UPB but strengthened the influence of pro-organizational motives on OCB. Furthermore, we found that impression management motives strengthened the effects of pro-organizational motives on UPB and OCB, and the interaction of impression management motives and pro-organizational motives was stronger on UPB than on OCB. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Employee-Oriented CSR and Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior: The Role of Perceived Insider Status and Ethical Climate Rules

Although existing research generally has found that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a positive impact on organizations and individuals, researchers should still be alert to the potential risks it may bring. This study will explore why employee-oriented corporate social responsibility (employee-oriented CSR) triggers unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). Based on the social identity theory, this study establishes a moderated mediation model to explore the impact mechanism of employee-oriented CSR on UPB. We collected survey data from 298 employees of manufacturing organizations to test our research model. The regression statistics results indicate that employee-oriented CSR can indirectly (via perceived insider status (PIS)) affect employees’ UPB. Moreover, ethical climate rules negatively moderate the relationship between PIS and UPB, and negatively moderate the indirect effect of employee-oriented CSR on UPB. This study promotes a full understanding of the impact of CSR, expands the micro-foundation of CSR, and extends the research on the antecedents of employees’ UPB by revealing the social-psychological mechanism of employee-oriented CSR impact UPB, and also gives specific suggestions to put into practice.

Impact of employee pro-organizational unethical behavior on performance evaluation rated by supervisor: a moderated mediation model of supervisor bottom-line mentality

Purpose

The topic of employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) has attracted more and more interest in both practice and academic fields. However, previous studies have mainly investigated the antecedents of UPB and little research has discussed the outcome variables. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effect mechanism of UPB on employee performance evaluation rated by a supervisor through a leader-member exchange (LMX) and the moderating role of supervisor bottom-line mentality (BLM).

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a sample consisting of 304 employees and 96 supervisors in several manufacturing firms in China. The authors used hierarchical linear modeling to test the hypotheses, as this was cross-level research. In addition, this paper also uses Mplus7.4 to test the moderating effects of supervisor BLM on the indirect effects between the UPB and performance evaluation by a moderated path analysis.

Findings

The results confirm that UPB is positively related to performance evaluation rated by supervisors. Additionally, the mediating effect of LMX in the relationship between UPB and performance evaluation is successfully demonstrated. Furthermore, supervisor BLM cross-levelly moderates the relationship between UPB and LMX, as well as moderates the mediation effect of LMX on the correlation between UPB and performance evaluation.

Research limitations/implications

The primary contribution of this research is building a cross-level model for the effect of UPB on followers’ performance evaluation scored by the supervisor and thereby extending the nomological networks of both UPB and performance evaluation literature. Another contribution the study makes to the literature is that it provides a new perspective to understand how UPB relates to followers’ performance evaluation.

Originality/value

This is the first study about how and when UPB predicts followers’ performance evaluation rated by the supervisor.

Gender Differences in Engagement in Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior—Two Studies in Poland

The objective of this article is to present the results of research on the differences in unethical pro-organizational behavior between men and women. Enterprises run the risk of loss of reputation as a result of unethical pro-organizational behavior on the part of their staff. Such behavior also stands in opposition to sustainable enterprise development. However, an employee who engages in this type of behavior may suffer guilt and embarrassment. In the long term, this hinders employee well-being. The correlation between engagement in unethical pro-organizational behavior and the respondents’ gender was examined in two empirical studies. The first one was carried out among full-time employees of companies operating in various sectors in Poland, who were extramural students (N = 786). The second study was conducted half among employees of three large holding companies and half among working students of postgraduate studies (N = 389). The t-Student test was employed in the study. Statistical analysis was performed with the use of the IBM SPSS Amos 25.0.0 software. The theoretical framework of gender socialization theory was employed. The main conclusion is that women are less inclined to display unethical behavior for the sake of an organization than men. This is the first—or one of the first articles—devoted to studying the correlations between unethical pro-organizational behavior and gender. The results of the study can be applied in practice as they support increased participation of women in management as well as in creation and implementation of ethical codes in organizations.

Influence of Challenge–Hindrance Stressors on Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior: Mediating Role of Emotions

Unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB), which threatens the sustainable development of enterprises, has become important research content in organizational management in recent years. Based on the framework of challenge–hindrance stressors, we explored the effect of stress on UPB from an emotional perspective. Multi-mediation models were constructed to reveal the relationship between stressors (challenge and hindrance stressors) and UPB, and the mediating roles of individual anxiety, attentiveness, and anger. The results of 375 questionnaires indicated that challenge stressors had no significant relationship with UPB due to the presence of the suppression effect. Challenge stressors had a positive effect on UPB through anxiety and a negative effect on UPB through attentiveness. Hindrance stressors had a positive effect on UPB through the mediation of anxiety and anger. Managers can benefit from the findings to correctly cope with employees’ emotional reactions and unethical behaviors caused by work stress, and take appropriate management measures to reduce and prevent employees’ UPB.

Influence of Authentic Leadership on Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior: The Intermediate Role of Work Engagement

Business ethics are an important part of corporate sustainability. Sustainability concerns not only the environment but also the well-being of employees, which includes work engagement. Authentic leadership has an impact on the work engagement and well-being of subordinates. The aim of the current research is to present the interdependencies between leadership, work engagement, and unethical pro-organizational behavior. A group of 623 employees from various organizations working in various positions in Central and Eastern Poland was surveyed. The relationships between the variables were analyzed using CB-SEM structural modeling methods. The estimation was completed on the basis of the highest probability method. The CB-SEM model was applied in order to verify the hypotheses that had been formulated. The current paper presents an intermediate role of work engagement between supervisors’ leadership and the unethical pro-organizational behavior of subordinates. The survey shows that authentic leadership induces subordinates to engage in unethical pro-organizational behavior. Practical implications were formulated, including company board greater integration of ethics into the core values of organizations and emphasis on learning business ethics in universities and MBA studies.