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The horizontal S-curve effect of ethical leadership on OCB: a self-identity perspective in the Chinese context

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  • Mingchuan Yu

    (Ningbo University of Finance and Economics)

  • Mo Chen

    (Harbin Institute of Technology)

  • D. Harold Doty

    (The University of Texas at Tyler)

  • Han Lin

    (Nanjing Audit University)

  • Ming Yuan

    (Guangzhou University)

Abstract

A large body of literature has explored the relationship between ethical leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and reported mixed results. One possible explanation for the mixed results is that those studies did not consider the extent to which ethical leadership attracts employee attention. Combining sensory threshold and social learning theory, we propose and test for a horizontal S-shape relationship between ethical leadership and OCB. We conducted multilevel modeling to examine these horizontal S-shaped relationships by using a sample of 119 leaders and 436 employees. The results show that ethical leadership is negatively but not significantly related to OCB when ethical leadership is very low, positively related to OCB at moderate levels of ethical leadership, and negatively related to employee OCB at very high levels of ethical leadership. Additionally, we found that that employees’ individual self-identity and collective self-identity moderate the S-shaped relationship between ethical leadership and OCB.

Suggested Citation

  • Mingchuan Yu & Mo Chen & D. Harold Doty & Han Lin & Ming Yuan, 2025. "The horizontal S-curve effect of ethical leadership on OCB: a self-identity perspective in the Chinese context," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 24(4), pages 600-630, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:abaman:v:24:y:2025:i:4:d:10.1057_s41291-025-00303-x
    DOI: 10.1057/s41291-025-00303-x
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