Constituency Norms Facilitate Unethical Negotiation Behavior Through Moral Disengagement

Abstract While organizations strive for ethical conduct, the activity of negotiating offers strong temptations to employ unethical tactics and secure benefits for one’s own party. In four experiments, we examined the role of constituency communication in terms of their attitudes towards (un)ethical and competitive conduct on negotiators’ willingness and actual use of unethical tactics. We find that the mere presence of a constituency already increased representatives’ willingness to engage in unethical behavior (Experiment 1). More specifically, a constituency communicating liberal (vs. strict) attitudes toward unethical conduct helps negotiators to justify transgressions and morally disengage from their behavior, resulting in an increased use of unethical negotiation tactics (Experiment 2–3). Moreover, constituents’ endorsement of competitive strategies sufficed to increase moral disengagement and unethical behavior of representative negotiators in a similar fashion (Experiment 4ab). Our results caution organizational practice against advocating explicit unethical and even competitive tactics by constituents: it eases negotiators’ moral dilemma towards unethical conduct.

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How do employees react to leaders’ unethical behavior? The role of moral disengagement

Personnel Psychology ◽

10.1111/peps.12366 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 73 (1) ◽

pp. 73-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ryan Fehr ◽

Ashley Fulmer ◽

Fong T. Keng‐Highberger

Keyword(s):

Unethical Behavior ◽

Moral Disengagement

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Investigating the Effect of Constructing Social Accounts on Accountants' Unethical Behavior: With Mediating Role of Moral Disengagement and Guilt

Iranian journal of Value and Behavioral Accounting ◽

10.29252/aapc.4.7.63 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (7) ◽

pp. 63-102

Author(s):

Ali akbar Arjmandniya ◽

Rezvan Hejazi ◽

Albert Boghosian ◽

sara Etemadi Eidgahi ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Unethical Behavior ◽

Moral Disengagement ◽

Social Accounts ◽

Mediating Role

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Positive People and Negative Practices: Mediating Role of Moral Disengagement on Unethical Behavior

Academy of Management Proceedings ◽

10.5465/ambpp.2012.14356abstract ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 (1) ◽

pp. 14356

Author(s):

C Justice Tillman ◽

Ericka R. Lawrence ◽

Oscar Holmes IV

Keyword(s):

Unethical Behavior ◽

Moral Disengagement ◽

Mediating Role

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Moral dilemma in adolescence: The role of values, prosocial moral reasoning and moral disengagement in helping decision making

European Journal of Developmental Psychology ◽

10.1080/17405629.2012.759099 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 190-205 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Marinella Paciello ◽

Roberta Fida ◽

Carlo Tramontano ◽

Ellie Cole ◽

Luca Cerniglia

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Moral Reasoning ◽

Moral Disengagement ◽

Moral Dilemma

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Facades of morality: the role of moral disengagement in green buying behaviour

Qualitative Market Research An International Journal ◽

10.1108/qmr-03-2019-0030 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 217-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nitika Sharma ◽

Madan Lal

Keyword(s):

Grounded Theory ◽

Moral Disengagement ◽

Moral Dilemma ◽

Research Work ◽

Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽

Consumption Pattern ◽

Content Type ◽

Green Consumption ◽

Buying Behaviour

Purpose This study aims to presents the article regarding the influential role of moral inefficacy and moral disengagement to address green intention and behaviour gap among consumers, and how they attain self-exoneration because of the moral dilemma if any exist. Design/methodology/approach The present study is based on semi-structured interviews, using constructivist grounded theory, which offers a platform to investigate, explore and discover psychosocial mechanism that operates among the consumers regarding the dimension of morality and green practices. In-depth exhaustive dialogues with Indian green consumers are set up to stimulate dialogue on the study. Findings Findings of the study shed light on the moral dilemma arising from internal and external inefficacy of consumers and disengagement of morality to save consumers from self-condemnation. Also, the study proffers the potential conceptual framework of moral inefficacy, moral disengagement and green buying behaviour of consumers. Eventually, the study mapped the morality matrix to explore the consequents of moral inefficacy and moral disengagement. Research limitations/implications The idiographic nature of qualitative research, particularly grounded theory may be considered as a research limitation as it follows limited generalizability. Moreover, the present research work is exploratory in nature and depends on the candour of researchers’ reactivity and understanding. Practical implications The study subjectively concludes the green behaviour of consumers and discusses the rationality behind green intentions and behaviour gap. Marketers can strategize consumer morality as an approach to enhance green buying behaviour of consumers by removing moral inefficacies and disengagements. Social implications It is crucial for marketers and society to understand the reasons behind non-green consumerism and accordingly cope up with the situation. Originality/value The study has been designed in a way to discuss the philosophy of morality and psychology of consumers on green consumption. To elicit the crux and conceptualization of morality and green purchasing framework using constructivist grounded theory is the exclusivity of this study. This paper explores green consumption pattern using moral orientation and processes in detail.

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Leader Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior and Employee Unethical Conduct: Social Learning of Moral Disengagement as a Behavioral Principle

Journal of Management ◽

10.1177/0149206320959699 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 014920632095969

Author(s):

Huiwen Lian ◽

Mingyun Huai ◽

Jiing-Lih Farh ◽

Jia-Chi Huang ◽

Cynthia Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Learning ◽

Organizational Behavior ◽

Unethical Behavior ◽

Moral Disengagement ◽

Power Distance ◽

Field Studies ◽

Unethical Conduct ◽

Power Distance Orientation ◽

Unethical Behaviors ◽

High Power Distance

Unethical behavior in organizations has attracted much attention among researchers, yet we know little about when and why unethical behavior conducted by leaders that is intended to benefit the organization—or leader unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB)—might translate into employee unethical behavior. Drawing on a social-learning-of-principle perspective, which proposes that people can learn the principles that govern observed behaviors, we propose that employees, especially those with a high power distance orientation, can abstract and learn a moral disengagement behavioral principle by observing leader UPB. This learned moral disengagement behavioral principle then enables them to engage in unethical behaviors that may be intended to benefit or harm their organizations. In two multiwave field studies with data collected from real estate agents, we found overall support for our theoretical model but the moderating effect of power distance orientation. We discuss some key theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

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Honesty-Humility and unethical behavior in adolescents: The mediating role of moral disengagement and the moderating role of system justification

Journal of Adolescence ◽

10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.05.009 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 90 ◽

pp. 11-22

Author(s):

Zhen Guo ◽

Wenqi Li ◽

Ying Yang ◽

Yu Kou

Keyword(s):

Unethical Behavior ◽

Moral Disengagement ◽

System Justification ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Moderating Role

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Employment Discrimination as Unethical Behavior

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199363643.013.5 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Joerg Dietz ◽

Emmanuelle P. Kleinlogel

Keyword(s):

Unethical Behavior ◽

Moral Disengagement ◽

Employment Discrimination ◽

Codes Of Conduct ◽

Moral Issue ◽

Human Right ◽

Moral Principles ◽

Individual Difference Variables ◽

Situational Predictors

We argue that research on employment discrimination can be enriched by studying it as unethical behavior. Using five moral principles, namely utilitarianism, distributive justice, righteousness of actions, virtuousness, and ethics of care, we illustrate the treatment of employment discrimination as a moral issue. An overarching theme in this discussion is that nondiscrimination is a fundamental human right. Next, the chapter illustrates how individual-difference variables that predict unethical behavior, such as moral disengagement and cognitive moral development, can contribute to advancing knowledge about employment discrimination. A similar argument is then presented for situational predictors of unethical behavior, such as obedience with requests from organizational authorities. Lastly, we discuss the role of classic interventions against unethical behavior, such as codes of conduct and the emphasis on fairness as a moral imperative, for combating employment discrimination.

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