The Danger of Blindly Following: Examining the Relationship Between Authoritarian Leadership and Unethical Pro-organizational Behaviors

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Fangzhou Liu ◽  
Jian Liang ◽  
Mo Chen

ABSTRACT Researchers have paid much attention to the performance implications of authoritarian leadership. However, less effort has been devoted to exploring its ethical consequences at work. Drawing on the social cognitive theory of morality, this study explores the indirect relationship between authoritarian leadership and subordinates’ unethical pro-organizational behaviors (UPB) via displacement of responsibility. A vignette-based experimental study (Study 1) and a time-lagged field study (Study 2) were conducted to test our hypotheses. Consistent findings were accumulated for the indirect relationship between authoritarian leadership and UPB through displacement of responsibility (both Study 1 and 2). Furthermore, this indirect relationship was stronger among employees with low level of moral efficacy (Study 2). We conclude this study by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 883-894
Author(s):  
Zhenduo Zhang ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Jing Xiu ◽  
Junwei Zheng

PurposeBased on the social cognitive theory, this research analyzed the helping behavior of leaders and its trickle-down effect on an employee's helping behavior. Additionally, this study analyzed the relationship between an employee's helping behavior and thriving at work.Design/methodology/approachCellphones were used to collect data using the experience sampling method from 74 participants over five consecutive days (N = 370), and the conceptual model was analyzed at the episode level.FindingsThis research examined the helping behavior of employees and its role in mediating the relationship between a leader's helping behavior and an employee's thriving at work. Psychological availability moderates this indirect relationship; and high psychological availability increases the indirect influence of a leader's helping behavior on an employee's helping behavior, which in turn increases employee's thriving at work.Originality/valueThe findings of this research shed light on a new social cognitive mechanism through which the helping behavior of leaders enhances an employee's thriving at work.


2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051986008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingchao Wang ◽  
Fengqing Zhao ◽  
Jiping Yang ◽  
Li Lei

Based on an integration of the positive youth development model and the social cognitive theory, friends’ moral identity was examined as a moderator of the direct and indirect relations between school climate and adolescent’s cyberbullying perpetration via moral disengagement. Participants were 404 Chinese adolescents ( Mage = 13.53 years, SD = 0.92). They completed the Perceived School Climate Scale and the Moral Identity Scale and nominated up to three friends whom they considered to be their “best friend” in their classroom at Time 1. After 6 months, they completed the Moral Disengagement Scale and the Cyberbullying Scale at Time 2. Results showed that adolescents who experienced positive school climate were less likely to cyberbully others, which was mediated by their moral disengagement. Friends’ moral identity moderated the direct and indirect relations between school climate and cyberbullying perpetration. Specifically, the indirect relationship between school climate and cyberbullying perpetration through moral disengagement became nonsignificant for adolescents interacting with high moral identity friends. The direct association between school climate and cyberbullying perpetration was moderated by friends’ moral identity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah D. Asebedo ◽  
Martin C. Seay

This study investigates the relationship between financial self-efficacy (FSE) and saving behavior within a sample of 847 U.S. pre-retirees aged 50 to 70 from the Health and Retirement Study. In accordance with the social cognitive theory of self-regulation, results revealed that FSE is positively related to saving behavior after controlling for sociodemographic attributes, financial characteristics, and saving motives. Understanding how FSE contributes to saving behavior is critical as older workers attempt to bridge the retirement saving gap. Financial counselors and planners can help this population save by cultivating and supporting clients’ FSE throughout the financial planning and counseling process.


2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1123-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa Salanova ◽  
Laura Lorente ◽  
Isabel M. Martínez

The objective of this study is to analyze the different role that efficacy beliefs play in the prediction of learning, innovative and risky performances. We hypothesize that high levels of efficacy beliefs in learning and innovative performances have positive consequences (i.e., better academic and innovative performance, respectively), whereas in risky performances they have negative consequences (i.e., less safety performance). To achieve this objective, three studies were conducted, 1) a two-wave longitudinal field study among 527 undergraduate students (learning setting), 2) a three-wave longitudinal lab study among 165 participants performing innovative group tasks (innovative setting), and 3) a field study among 228 construction workers (risky setting). As expected, high levels of efficacy beliefs have positive or negative consequences on performance depending on the specific settings. Unexpectedly, however, we found no time × self-efficacy interaction effect over time in learning and innovative settings. Theoretical and practical implications within the social cognitive theory of A. Bandura framework are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 557-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.M. Jawahar ◽  
Bert Schreurs ◽  
Shawn J. Mohammed

Purpose In spite of the recent meta-analysis by Martin et al. (2016), we have very little insight about the theoretical mechanism explaining the leader–member exchange–counterproductive work behavior (LMX–CWB) relationship. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the purpose of this paper is to test if occupational self-efficacy functions as a mediating mechanism to explain the relationship between LMX quality and counterproductive performance directed toward the supervisor. In addition, based on the conservation of resources theory, the paper investigates if supervisor–subordinate relationship tenure acted as a second-stage moderator of this mediated relationship. Design/methodology/approach The authors used two-wave time-lagged data from a sample of 189 high-tech professionals to test the hypotheses, controlling for age, sex, and trust. Findings The results of this paper showed that occupational self-efficacy carried the effect of LMX quality on counterproductive performance, but only for workers who have longer supervisor–subordinate relationship tenure. Originality/value This paper is unique in proposing and testing a social cognitive mechanism to explain the relationship between LMX quality and counterproductive performance. As Johns (2017) advocated, the authors incorporated length of time, a contextual variable into this study by investigating supervisor–subordinate relationship tenure as moderating the proposed mediated relationship.


Author(s):  
Kirill Zlokazov ◽  
Ekaterina Ilyankova ◽  
Anton Rozhkov

The relevance of this research is connected with the necessity of develo­ping the theory of delinquent behavior and of improving the prevention of juvenile delinquency. The analysis of clauses that form the foundation of delinquency prevention programs shows the dominance of personal, behavioral and social environment-related views and a poor development of subjective views that modify the understanding of social consequences of crimes by adolescents. The goal of this research was to study the ideas of adolescents regarding social space and their impact on their assessment of crimes and their consequences. The study was based on the principles and clauses of a subjective approach, and the social-cognitive theory. The information processing methods included the frequency content-analysis (text-meaning), the assessment of differences (H-test of Kruskal-Wallis), and the multi-factor, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The authors established that juvenile delinquents’ understanding of interactions in the social space has an influence on their description of crimes. They also determined the statistical differences in the understanding of interaction with the social space between law-abiding adolescents and juvenile delinquents. It was shown that juvenile delinquents believe that social space ignores and devalues them, while law abiding adolescents believe that it is sensitive and supportive. Juvenile delinquents consider it possible to be irresponsible and dishonest in their interactions with other people, while law abiding adolescents strive to be responsible, honest and fair. The authors found out that the assessment of relationships with the social environment has an impact on the description of the consequences of a crime in a group of juvenile delinquents. The obtained results specify the ideas on the subjectivity of juvenile delinquents, prove that the subjective world view determines how the crime itself and its consequences are perceived, provide additional evidence that underage crimes are determined by the disruption of the relationship with the social environment, and show that the consequences of crimes are described using the vocabulary of risks and opportunities, consequences and advantages, break-up with the close ones and isolation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 257 ◽  
pp. 02064
Author(s):  
Shiwei Sun ◽  
Han Ren

This paper is among the first to explore the relationship between employees’ bottom line mentality (BLM) and safety behaviors, as well as the moderating role of safety climate in this relationship. Drawing on the social cognitive theory, we hypothesize that a) employees’ BLM is positively correlated with safety behaviors; b) safety climate plays a significant moderating role between BLM and safety behaviors. We tested the data using AMOS and SPSS software, and the results from three-wave surveys of 275 employees provide broadly consistent support for our hypotheses. Theoretical and practical implications and future directions are also discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Zhang ◽  
Hui Deng ◽  
Yuhuan Xia ◽  
Yuanyuan Lan

Applied social cognitive theory, this study built a moderated mediation model to explain how and when development idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) affect recipients’ turnover intention. Specifically, this study proposed two paths that linked development i-deals with the recipients’ turnover intention. One path was a retention path via perceived internal employability and another path was a turnover path via perceived external employability. This study tested the hypotheses with a sample of 337 employees from three companies in China. The results showed that development i-deals improved recipients’ perception of internal and external employability both. Perceived internal employability predicted low risk of turnover, but perceived external employability predicted high risk of turnover. And perceived internal and external employability played mediating roles in the relationship between development i-deals and turnover intention. Furthermore, the recipients’ perception of opportunity to perform in current organization strengthened the relationship between perceived internal employability and turnover intention, but weakened the relationship between perceived external employability and turnover intention. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.


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