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The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior: The Relationship Between Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and Work Effort

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Abstract

The current study presents an integrative model examining the double-edged sword effect of unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) from the perspective of the actors. Drawing on the moral self-regulation perspective and psychological entitlement literature, we propose that employees who engage in UPB may experience an increase in moral deficits and psychological entitlement, resulting in increased organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and decreased work effort, respectively. We further propose that moral attentiveness strengthens the positive relationship between UPB and moral deficits but weakens the positive relationship between UPB and psychological entitlement. Moreover, the strength of the indirect effects of employee UPB on OCB and work effort is also contingent upon employees’ moral attentiveness. The hypothesized moderated mediation model is supported by a multisource and time-lagged research design based on a sample of 256 supervisor–subordinate dyads. Key theoretical and practical implications and future research directions are discussed.

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Funding

This research was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 71972144, 72002110, 72072110).

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  1. Wan Jiang, Bingqian Liang and Linlin Wang have contributed equally to this article.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Management & Economics, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Wan Jiang

  2. SILC Business School, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai, 200444, China

    Bingqian Liang

  3. Business School, Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300071, China

    Linlin Wang

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  1. Wan Jiang
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Correspondence to Bingqian Liang.

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Jiang, W., Liang, B. & Wang, L. The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior: The Relationship Between Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and Work Effort. J Bus Ethics 183, 1159–1172 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-05034-5

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