Power distance and leader integrity: The roles of moral disengagement and narcissism

The focus in most research on leader integrity has been on its positive consequences; however, studies on the antecedents of leader integrity are still lacking. Drawing on moral disengagement theory, in this empirical study we examined the relationship between power distance and leader integrity, and the roles of moral disengagement and narcissism in this relationship. We analyzed paired leader–subordinate data obtained from a survey conducted with 253 leaders and their direct subordinates in China. The results show that leaders' power distance was negatively related to their integrity, leader moral disengagement mediated the relationship between power distance and integrity, and narcissism positively moderated the relationship between power distance and moral disengagement. Moreover, narcissism strengthened the mediating effect of moral disengagement: The higher the level of narcissism, the stronger the indirect effect of power distance on leader integrity via moral disengagement. Our findings enrich the theory of leader integrity and provide guidance for preventing damage to leader integrity.

Does leader integrity facilitate employee voice? A moderated mediation model of perceived risk and leader consultation

PurposeThis study draws on uncertainty management theory to advance our understanding of the relationship between leader integrity and employee voice.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data in China by surveying 274 supervisor-subordinate dyads at two different points in time. In addition to the direct relationship between leader integrity and employee voice, they also examined the moderating effect of leader consultation and the mediating effect of perceived risk of voice.FindingsThe authors found that leader integrity had a positive effect on employee voice, and perceived risk of voice mediated this relationship. They also found that leader consultation moderated the relationship between leader integrity and employee voice, as well as moderating the mediating role of perceived risk of voice.Originality/valueAlthough prior research has examined the relationship between leadership and voice, it has not clearly explicated the effects of leader integrity on voice. In addition, the findings of this study regarding the moderating role of leader consultation, and the mediating role of perceived risk of voice, offer novel insights regarding the nature of the relationship between leader integrity and employee voice.

The Importance of Leader Integrity on Family Restaurant Employees’ Engagement and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: Exploring Sustainability of Employees’ Generational Differences

The purpose of this study is to investigate how foodservice employees’ perceptions of their leader’s integrity affect their work engagement and organizational citizenship behaviors, with the aim of moderating empirical evidence of generational differences. This study was administered to 218 foodservice employees using a self-administered questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the measured items were reviewed using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and they were verified using structural equation modeling (SEM). The study results showed that leader integrity had a significant positive effect on employees’ work engagement, and organizational citizenship behaviors, while employee engagement induced by leader integrity increased organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). Also, the results found that the effects of leader integrity on OCBs were stronger for Generation Y workers than for Generation X workers. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

Turning a Blind or Critical Eye to Leader Value Breaches: The Role of Value Congruence in Employee Perceptions of Leader Integrity

How do employees react when an organizational leader commits a value breach (i.e., behaves in a way that employees perceive as inconsistent with the organization’s espoused values)? Prior research provides a mixed view: Employees may conclude that the leader lacks integrity, or they may maintain their perception of the leader’s integrity, despite the breach. We focus on the role of person–organization value congruence in determining employee reactions and propose competing predictions that value congruence is positively (“blind eye effect”) or negatively (“critical eye effect”) associated with employee perceptions of leader behavioral integrity following a breach. In Study 1, field survey data suggested that value congruence was positively associated with the perceived integrity of a leader who had committed a breach. However, two follow-up studies using an experimental vignette methodology revealed additional nuance. An integration of our three studies indicated that before the occurrence of any breaches, employees with high value congruence perceive leaders as higher in integrity than do employees with low value congruence (pre-breach sacralization), but when leaders commit one or more value breaches, high value congruence employees react more harshly—lowering their integrity perceptions to a greater extent (the critical eye effect). As a result, as leaders commit more and more breaches, the initially positive relationship between value congruence and perceived leader integrity weakens and eventually becomes negative. Our findings offer important contributions to theory, research, and practice related to organizational values and leadership.