Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Aftermath of Organizational Corruption: Employee Attributions and Emotional Reactions

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Employee attributions and emotional reactions to unethical behavior of top leaders in an organization recently involved in a highly publicized ethics scandal were examined. Participants (n = 76) from a large southern California government agency completed an ethical climate assessment. Secondary data analysis was performed on the written commentary to an open-ended question seeking employees’ perceptions of the ethical climate. Employees attributed the organization’s poor ethical leadership to a number of causes, including: lack of moral reasoning, breaches of trust, hypocrisy, and poor ethical behavior role modeling. Emotional reactions to corruption included cynicism, optimism, pessimism, paranoia and fear, and were targeted at top leaders, organizational practices (i.e., the old boy network, nepotism, and cronyism) and ethics interventions. Implications for leadership training and other organizational ethics interventions are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ambrose M. L., R. Cropanzano: 2003, Longitudinal Analysis of Organizational Fairness: An Examination of Reactions to Tenure and Promotion Decisions. Journal of Applied Psychology 88(2), 266–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson L., T. Bateman: 1997, Cynicism in the Workplace: Some Causes and Effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior 18, 446–469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashkanasy N. M., C. S. Daus: 2002, Emotions in the Workplace: The New Challenge for Managers. Academy of Management Executive 16, 76–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Barling J., M. Phillips: 1993, Interactional, Formal, and Distributive Justice in the Workplace: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Psychology 73, 199–207

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennis W.: 1999, The End of Leadership: Exemplary Leadership is Impossible Without Full Inclusion, Initiatives, and Cooperation of Followers. Organizational Dynamics 28(1), 71–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bigel K. S.: 2000, The Ethical Orientation of Financial Planners who are Engaged in Investment Activities: A Comparison of United States Practitioners Based on Professionalization and Compensation Sources. Journal of Business Ethics 28(4), 323–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown M. E., L. K. Treviño, D. A. Harrison.: 2005, Ethical Leadership: A Social Learning Perspective for Construct Development and Testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 97, 117–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carver C. S., M. F. Scheier, J. K. Weintraub.: 1989, Assessing Coping Strategies: A Theoretically Based Approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 56, 267–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dasborough M. T.: 2006, Cognitive Asymmetry in Employee Emotional Reactions to Leadership Behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly 17, 163–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, A. L. and H. R. Rothstein: 2006, ‹The Effects of the Perceived Behavioral Integrity of Managers on Employee Attitudes: A Meta-Analysis’, Journal of Business Ethics 67(4), 407–419

    Google Scholar 

  • Dean J. W., P. Brandes, R. Dharwadkar.: 1998, Organizational Cynicism. Academy of Management Review 23(3), 341–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elm D. R., M. L. Nichols.: 1993, An Investigation of the Moral Reasoning of Managers. Journal of Business Ethics 12(11), 817–838

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewing D.: 1965, Is Nepotism so Bad? Harvard Business Review 43(1), 22–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Farr K. A.: 1988, Dominance Bonding Through the Good Old Boys Sociability Group. Sex Roles 18(5/6), 259–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franklin C. W.: 1984, The Changing Definition of Masculinity. Plenum Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Fulton, W. and P. Shigley: 2002 November, ‹Addicted to Corruption’, Governing Magazine, 16(2), 36–40

  • Green S. G., T. R. Mitchell.: 1979, Attributional Processes of Leaders in Leader-Member Exchanges. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 23, 429–458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grojean M. W., C. J. Resick, M. W. Dickson, D. B. Smith.: 2004, Leaders, Values, and Organizational Climate: Examining Leadership Strategies for Establishing an Organizational Climate Regarding Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics 55, 223–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris J. R.: 1990, Ethical Values of Individuals at Different Levels in the Organizational Hierarchy of a Single Firm. Journal of Business Ethics 9(9), 741–750

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hogan R., N. P. Emler: 1981, Retributive Justice, In M. J. Lerner, S. C. Lerner (eds.), The Justice Motive in Social Behavior (Plenum, New York), pp. 125–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson J. L., A. M. O’Leary-Kelly.: 2003, “The Effects of Psychological Contract Breach and Organizational Cynicism: Not All Social Exchange Violations are Created Equal. Journal of Organizational Behavior 24(5), 627–647

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kacmar K. M., R. A. Baron.: 1999, Organizational Politics: The State of the Field, Links to Related Processes, and an Agenda for Future Research. In G. R. Ferris (ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management. (pp. 1–39). JAI Press, Stamford, CT

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanungo R. N., M. Mendonca.: 1996, Ethical Dimensions of Leadership. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelley H. H.: 1972, Attribution in Social Interaction. In E. E. Jones, D. E. Kanous, H. H. Kelley, R. E. Nisbett, S. Valins, B. Weiner (eds.), Attribution: Perceiving the Causes of Behavior. General Learning Press, Morristown, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • Kouzes J. M., B. Z. Posner.: 1995, The Leadership Challenge. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Korsgaard M. A., S. E. Brodt, E. M. Whitener.: 2002, Trust in the Face of Conflict: The Role of Managerial Trustworthy Behavior and Organizational Context. Journal of Applied Psychology 8(2), 312–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipman-Blumen J.: 2005, The Allure of Toxic Leaders. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lord R. G., K. J. Maher.: 1991, Leadership and Information Processing: Linking Perceptions and Performance. Unwin-Hyman, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Luthans F., A. H. Church.: 2002, Positive Organizational Behavior: Developing and Managing Psychological Strengths. Academy of Management Executive 16(1), 57–75

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDuff, C.: 2003, February, 25, ‹Capitol ties count most’, The Press Enterprise, p. B01

  • Meindl J. R.: 1995, The Romance of Leadership as a Follower-Centric Theory: A Social Constructionist Approach. The Leadership Quarterly 6(3), 329–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meindl J. R., S. B. Ehrlich.: 1987 The Romance of Leadership and the Evaluation of Organizational Performance. Academy of Management Journal 30, 91–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meindl J. R., S. B. Ehrlich, J. M. Dukerich.: 1985, The Romance of Leadership. Administrative Science Quarterly 30, 78–102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mendonca M.: 2001, Preparing for Ethical Leadership in Organizations. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences 18(4), 266–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miles M. B., A. M. Huberman.: 1994, Qualitative Data Analysis. Sage Publications, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Niehoff B. P., R. J. Paul, J. F. S. Bunch.: 1998, The Social Effects of Punishment Events: The Influence of Violator Past Performance Record and Severity of the Punishment on Observers’ Justice Perceptions and Attitudes. Journal of Organizational Behavior 19(6), 589–602

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor W. E., T. G. Morrison.: 2001, A Comparison of Situational and Dispositional Predictors of Perceptions of Organizational Politics. Journal of Psychology 135(3), 301–312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Reilly C. O., III S. Puffer.: 1989, The Impact of Rewards and Punishments in a Social Context: A Laboratory and Field Experiment. Journal of Occupational Psychology 62, 41–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Padgett M. Y., K. A. Morris.: 2005, Keeping it “All in the Family:” Does Nepotism in the Hiring Process Really Benefit the Beneficiary? Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies 11(2), 34–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pate J., G. Martin, J. McGoldrick.: 2003, The Impact of Psychological Contract Violation on Employee Attitudes and Behavior. Employee Relations 25(6), 557–573

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patton M. Q.: 2002, Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. 3rd ed., Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Peeters G.: 2002, From Good and Bad to Can and Must: Subjective Necessity of Acts Associated with Positively and Negatively Valued Stimuli. European Journal of Social Psychology 32, 125–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pelletier K. L., M. C. Bligh.: 2006, Rebounding from Corruption: Perceptions of Ethics Program Effectiveness in a Public Sector Organization. Journal of Business Ethics, 67(4), 359–374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pennino C. M.: 2002, Does Tenure Impact Upon the Principled Reasoning of Managers? Journal of Business Ethics 40(3), 219–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Posner B. Z., W. H. Schmidt.: 1987, Ethics in American Companies: A Managerial Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics 6, 383–392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed C. M., W. M. Bruce.: 1993, Dual-career Couples in the Public Sector: A Survey of Personnel Policies and Practices. Public Personnel Management 22(2), 187–199

    Google Scholar 

  • Rest J. R.: 1979, Development in Judging Moral Issues. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson S. L., D. M. Rousseau.: 1994, Violating the Psychological Contract: Not the Exception but the Norm. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 14(3), 245–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schein E. H.: 1985, Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz M.: 2001, The Nature of the Relationship Between Corporate Codes of Ethics and Behaviour. Journal of Business Ethics 32(3), 247–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sims R. R., J. Brinkmann.: 2002, Leaders as Moral Role Models: The Case of John Gutfreund at Salomon Brothers. Journal of Business Ethics 35(4), 327–339

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treviño L. K.: 1992, The Social Effects of Punishment in Organizations: A Justice Perspective. Academy of Management Review 17, 647–676

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treviño L. K., G. A. Ball.: 1992, The Social Implications of Punishing Unethical Behavior: Observer’s Cognitive and Affective Reactions. Journal of Management 18(4), 751–768

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Troha, T.: (2005, November, 30), ‹Former CAO Escapes Jail Time’, Daily Press, p. B02

  • Weiss H. M., R. Cropanzano.: 1996, Affective Events Theory: A Theoretical Discussion of the Structure, Causes and Consequences of Affective Experiences at Work. Research in Organizational Behavior 18, 1–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Yukl G. A.: 2002, Leadership in Organizations, 5th ed. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaccaro S. J., R. J. Klimoski.: 2001, The Nature of Organizational Leadership: Understanding the Performance Imperatives Confronting Today’s Leaders. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The first author wishes to thank Jan Kottke for her thoughtful reviews of earlier versions of this manuscript. In addition, the authors appreciate the generous contributions of Erik Collier and Tiffany Locke in coding the data. The authors also acknowledge Wendy O’Connell for her insights during the development of this manuscript. Finally, we also thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments. An earlier version of this article was presented at the 2006 Western Psychological Association Conference in Palm Springs, CA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, 123 East Eighth Street, Claremont, CA, 91711, U.S.A.

    Kathie L. Pelletier & Michelle C. Bligh

Authors
  1. Kathie L. Pelletier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michelle C. Bligh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kathie L. Pelletier.

Additional information

Kathie L. Pelletier is a doctoral student in the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences at Claremont Graduate University, 123 East Eighth Street, Claremont, CA 91711; e-mail: kathie.pelletier@cgu.edu. Her research interests include organizational ethics, ethical leadership, and toxic leadership.

Michelle C. Bligh is an assistant professor of Organizational Behavior in the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences at Claremont Graduate University, 123 East Eighth Street, Claremont, CA 91711; e-mail: michelle.bligh@cgu.edu. Her research interests include charismatic leadership, political and executive leadership, and organizational culture.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pelletier, K.L., Bligh, M.C. The Aftermath of Organizational Corruption: Employee Attributions and Emotional Reactions. J Bus Ethics 80, 823–844 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9471-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9471-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation