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Moral attentiveness as a boundary condition: Servant leadership and the impact of supervisor affiliation on pro‐group unethical behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Yang Ouyang
  • Yuanmei (Elly) Qu
  • Hua Hu
  • Mengxi Yang

Abstract

Based on social exchange theory, this research aims to develop and test a model in which supervisor affiliation mediates the impact of servant leadership on employees’ pro‐group unethical behavior a highly competitive intergroup environment. Using a sample of 239 employees from 39 groups in four foreign‐owned engineering enterprises, we found that supervisor affiliation mediated the positive relationship between servant leadership and employees’ pro‐group unethical behavior. Our results also revealed that employees’ moral attentiveness weakened the positive impact of supervisor affiliation on pro‐group unethical behavior. The current study contributes to business ethics research by advancing our understanding of antecedents of pro‐group unethical behavior as well as how servant leadership leads to employees’ unethical behaviors. Implications for theory, practice, and directions for future research are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang Ouyang & Yuanmei (Elly) Qu & Hua Hu & Mengxi Yang, 2022. "Moral attentiveness as a boundary condition: Servant leadership and the impact of supervisor affiliation on pro‐group unethical behavior," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 577-588, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:31:y:2022:i:2:p:577-588
    DOI: 10.1111/beer.12422
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Katrina Graham & Jonathan Ziegert & Johnna Capitano, 2015. "The Effect of Leadership Style, Framing, and Promotion Regulatory Focus on Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(3), pages 423-436, February.
    2. 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.
    3. Émilie Lapointe & Christian Vandenberghe, 2018. "Examination of the Relationships Between Servant Leadership, Organizational Commitment, and Voice and Antisocial Behaviors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(1), pages 99-115, March.
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    1. Stinglhamber, Florence & Ohana, Marc & Demoulin, Stephanie, 2025. "Backfire effect of organizational pressure to behave unethically: The roles of organizational dehumanization and moral attentiveness," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    2. Junwei Zhang & Muhammad Naseer Akhtar & Yajun Zhang & Jiao Tang & Qing Yang, 2024. "How and when supervisor bottom‐line mentality affects employees' voluntary workplace green behaviors: A goal‐shielding perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(6), pages 5357-5371, November.
    3. Faridahwati Mohd Shamsudin & Shaker Bani‐Melhem & Rawan Abukhait & Rekha Pillai & Samina Quratulain, 2023. "The role of leader favoritism, unfairness, and employability in employee psychological withdrawal behavior," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 1185-1200, October.
    4. Hao Ji & Shenjiang Mo & Yi Su, 2025. "How does leader self‐sacrifice lead to employees' unethical pro‐organizational behavior? A moderated mediation model," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(4), pages 1504-1515, October.

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