A relational view of unethical pro-organisational behaviour

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the relational view of unethical pro-organisational behaviour (UPB) to explain interpersonal paths of influence on employees’ engagement in UPB. The proposed relational view of UPB is grounded in Darwall’s second-person philosophy.

Design/methodology/approach

This research design involves two quantitative studies – a pilot study with 340 subjects and the main study with 310 employees. The structural equation modelling data analysis was conducted using the R language software.

Findings

The findings provided initial support for the relational view of UPB. Study 1 revealed that employees’ accountability (perceived as personal obligation) influenced their engagement in UPB. Furthermore, Study 2 strengthens the theory and findings from Study 1 that employees’ moral organisational identification influences their engagement in UPB over the influence of employees’ identification with the organisation.

Research limitations/implications

The findings extend the nomological network of UPB and extant theoretical knowledge on the moral self by uncovering how moral accountability and personal obligation have a “dark side”.

Practical implications

The findings indicate that practitioners should address the impact of employee interpersonal relationships on their perceived obligation to engage in UPB.

Originality/value

The authors provided an original use of Darwall’s second-person standpoint as the philosophical foundation to integrate accountability and identity theories, to explain interpersonal influences on employees’ engagement in UPB.

Citation

Popoola, I.T., Novicevic, M., Johnson, P. and Matthew, M. (2024), "A relational view of unethical pro-organisational behaviour", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 299-317. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-08-2022-3393