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The more you exploit, the more expedient I will be: A moral disengagement and Chinese traditionality examination of exploitative leadership and employee expediency

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  • Ken Cheng

    (Zhejiang University of Technology)

  • Limin Guo

    (Tongji University)

  • Jinlian Luo

    (Tongji University)

Abstract

Drawing on social cognitive theory, we build a comprehensive understanding of how, why, and when exploitative leadership relates to employee expediency by identifying moral disengagement as one psychological mechanism and Chinese traditionality as one boundary condition. To test our model, we administrated a three-wave survey to collect data from 350 employees in China. The results showed that exploitative leadership was positively related to employee expediency and that moral disengagement mediated this relationship. Additionally, we found that Chinese traditionality buffered the positive relationship between exploitative leadership and moral disengagement as well as the indirect effect of exploitative leadership on employee expediency through moral disengagement. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Ken Cheng & Limin Guo & Jinlian Luo, 2023. "The more you exploit, the more expedient I will be: A moral disengagement and Chinese traditionality examination of exploitative leadership and employee expediency," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 151-167, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:asiapa:v:40:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10490-021-09781-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10490-021-09781-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zhining Wang & Shuang Ren & Doren Chadee & Yuhang Chen, 2024. "Employee Ethical Silence Under Exploitative Leadership: The Roles of Work Meaningfulness and Moral Potency," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 190(1), pages 59-76, February.

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