IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v156y2023ics0148296322010025.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours: Unethical pro-organizational behavior and deviance in response to different psychological contract states

Author

Listed:
  • Griep, Yannick
  • Kraak, Johannes M.
  • Fenneman, Jesse
  • Jiménez, Alfredo
  • Lub, Xander D.

Abstract

In this multi-study paper, we integrate Social Exchange Theory and the discretionary workplace behavior literature. Specifically, we posit that by breaching their psychological contract (PC) obligations, organizations may trigger negative reciprocity, which in turn may increase deviant behavior. Moreover, we posit that by fulfilling their legitimately PC obligations, organizations may trigger positive reciprocity, which in turn may increase unethical pro-organizational behavior. Across two studies (3-wave field study with traditional breach measure and 2-wave field study with expanded breach measure and polynomial regression), we found repeated evidence for our hypotheses. Specifically, we found that PC breach (Study 1) and PC under-fulfillment (Study 2) are positively related to the enactment of organizational deviance via negative reciprocity. Furthermore, we found that PC fulfillment (Study 1) and high absolute levels of PC fulfillment (Study 2) are positively related to unethical pro-organizational behavior via positive reciprocity. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Griep, Yannick & Kraak, Johannes M. & Fenneman, Jesse & Jiménez, Alfredo & Lub, Xander D., 2023. "You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours: Unethical pro-organizational behavior and deviance in response to different psychological contract states," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:156:y:2023:i:c:s0148296322010025
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113537
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296322010025
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113537?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Landers, Richard N. & Behrend, Tara S., 2015. "An Inconvenient Truth: Arbitrary Distinctions Between Organizational, Mechanical Turk, and Other Convenience Samples," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(2), pages 142-164, June.
    2. Rebecca Walker Reczek & Kelly L. Haws & Christopher A. Summers, 2014. "Lucky Loyalty: The Effect of Consumer Effort on Predictions of Randomly Determined Marketing Outcomes," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(4), pages 1065-1077.
    3. Shao, Ruodan & Aquino, Karl & Freeman, Dan, 2008. "Beyond Moral Reasoning: A Review of Moral Identity Research and Its Implications for Business Ethics," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 18(4), pages 513-540, October.
    4. Johannes Marcelus Kraak & Renaud Lunardo & Olivier Herrbach & Francois Durrieu, 2017. "Promises to employees matter, self-identity too: Effects of psychological contract breach and older worker identity on violation and turnover intentions," Post-Print hal-03257861, HAL.
    5. Rebecca Walker Reczek & Kelly L. Haws & Christopher A. Summers, 2014. "Lucky Loyalty: The Effect of Consumer Effort on Predictions of Randomly Determined Marketing Outcomes," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(4), pages 1065-1077.
    6. Richins, Marsha L, 1983. "An Analysis of Consumer Interaction Styles in the Marketplace," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 10(1), pages 73-82, June.
    7. Cohen-Charash, Yochi & Spector, Paul E., 2001. "The Role of Justice in Organizations: A Meta-Analysis," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 86(2), pages 278-321, November.
    8. Elizabeth E. Umphress & John B. Bingham, 2011. "When Employees Do Bad Things for Good Reasons: Examining Unethical Pro-Organizational Behaviors," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(3), pages 621-640, June.
    9. Kraak, Johannes Marcelus & Lunardo, Renaud & Herrbach, Olivier & Durrieu, François, 2017. "Promises to employees matter, self-identity too: Effects of psychological contract breach and older worker identity on violation and turnover intentions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 108-117.
    10. Gong, Taeshik & Wang, Chen-Ya, 2022. "The effects of a psychological contract breach on customer-directed deviance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 374-386.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Will Bryant & Stephanie M. Merritt, 2021. "Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior and Positive Leader–Employee Relationships," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(4), pages 777-793, February.
    2. Yoo, Jungmin & Park, Minjung, 2016. "The effects of e-mass customization on consumer perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty toward luxury brands," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 5775-5784.
    3. Gong, Baiyun & Sims, Randi L., 2023. "Psychological contract breach during the pandemic: How an abrupt transition to a work from home schedule impacted the employment relationship," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    4. Li, Yi & Fumagalli, Elena, 2022. "Spoiled Rotten: How and When Discontinuation of Repetitive and Regular Delight Offers Increases Customer Desire for Revenge," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 98(3), pages 412-431.
    5. Christopher M. Castille & John E. Buckner & Christian N. Thoroughgood, 2018. "Prosocial Citizens Without a Moral Compass? Examining the Relationship Between Machiavellianism and Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(4), pages 919-930, June.
    6. Sarofim, Samer & Chatterjee, Promothesh & Rose, Randall, 2020. "When store credit cards hurt retailers: The differential effect of paying credit card dues on consumers' purchasing behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 290-301.
    7. Xiaohua Zhao & Yuhuang Zheng & Fang Wan, 2020. "Unrelated efforts trigger wishful winning? The impact of extraneous efforts on judgments of winning probability among Chinese consumers," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(5), pages 560-581, November.
    8. Wenlong Liu & Changqing He & Yi Jiang & Rongrong Ji & Xuesong Zhai, 2020. "Effect of Gig Workers’ Psychological Contract Fulfillment on Their Task Performance in a Sharing Economy—A Perspective from the Mediation of Organizational Identification and the Moderation of Length ," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-20, March.
    9. Xiaohua Zhao & Yuhuang Zheng & Fang Wan, 0. "Unrelated efforts trigger wishful winning? The impact of extraneous efforts on judgments of winning probability among Chinese consumers," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 0, pages 1-22.
    10. Jisu J. Kim & Lena Steinhoff & Robert W. Palmatier, 2021. "An emerging theory of loyalty program dynamics," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 71-95, January.
    11. Junghyun Lee & Se-Hyung Oh & Sanghee Park, 2022. "Effects of Organizational Embeddedness on Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior: Roles of Perceived Status and Ethical Leadership," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 176(1), pages 111-125, February.
    12. Kirk, Colleen P. & Peck, Joann & Hart, Claire M. & Sedikides, Constantine, 2022. "Just my luck: Narcissistic admiration and rivalry differentially predict word of mouth about promotional games," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 374-388.
    13. Robinson, Stacey & Orsingher, Chiara & Alkire, Linda & De Keyser, Arne & Giebelhausen, Michael & Papamichail, K. Nadia & Shams, Poja & Temerak, Mohamed Sobhy, 2020. "Frontline encounters of the AI kind: An evolved service encounter framework," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 366-376.
    14. Trevor M. Spoelma & Nitya Chawla & Aleksander P. J. Ellis, 2021. "If You Can’t Join ‘Em, Report ‘Em: A Model of Ostracism and Whistleblowing in Teams," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(2), pages 345-363, October.
    15. Wu, Chuanhui & Zhou, Yusheng & Wang, Rui & Huang, Shijing & Yuan, Qinjian, 2022. "Understanding the Mechanism Between IT Identity, IT Mindfulness and Mobile Health Technology Continuance Intention: An Extended Expectation Confirmation Model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    16. Russell S. Cropanzano & Sebastiano Massaro & William J. Becker, 2017. "Deontic Justice and Organizational Neuroscience," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(4), pages 733-754, September.
    17. Mohammed Nadeem, 2015. "Customer Loyalty At Any Cost: Why Is Social Media Poorly Integrated With Marketing Strategy?," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 5(2), pages 78-96, February.
    18. Russell Cropanzano & Daniel P. Skarlicki & Thierry Nadisic & Marion Fortin & Phoenix van Wagoner & Ksenia Keplinger, 2022. "When Managers Become Robin Hoods: A Mixed Method Investigation," Post-Print hal-04325535, HAL.
    19. Muhammad Waseem Bari & Qurrah-tul-ain & Muhammad Abrar & Meng Fanchen, 2022. "Employees’ responses to psychological contract breach: The mediating role of organizational cynicism," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 43(2), pages 810-829, May.
    20. Xueming Luo & Xianghua Lu & Jing Li, 2019. "When and How to Leverage E-commerce Cart Targeting: The Relative and Moderated Effects of Scarcity and Price Incentives with a Two-Stage Field Experiment and Causal Forest Optimization," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 30(4), pages 1203-1227, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:156:y:2023:i:c:s0148296322010025. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.