How Bad Apples Promote Bad Barrels: Unethical Leader Behavior and the Selective Attrition Effect

Robert Cialdini (), Yexin Jessica Li (), Adriana Samper () and Ned Wellman ()
Additional contact information
Robert Cialdini: Arizona State University
Yexin Jessica Li: The University of Kansas
Adriana Samper: Arizona State University
Ned Wellman: Arizona State University

Journal of Business Ethics, 2021, vol. 168, issue 4, No 11, 880 pages

Abstract: Abstract We present a theoretical rationale and supporting studies revealing how unethical leader behavior fosters an unethical climate within workgroups that increases member turnover intentions and malfeasance. Drawing on the attraction–selection–attrition model of organizational behavior, we propose a selective attrition effect whereby unethical leader behavior results in the retention of group members who are more comfortable with dishonesty and, consequently, more likely to engage in unethical behavior toward their group. In two experiments, exposure to unethical leader behavior (vs. ethical leader behavior) increased group members’ likelihood of choosing to leave the group. Members who chose to remain in a group with an unethical leader were more likely than those who chose to leave to cheat their group in a subsequent task. A two time-period survey replicated these findings and identified psychological distress as the mechanism driving group members’ turnover intentions. This research extends our understanding of the complex relationships between unethical leadership and follower turnover intentions, psychological distress, and malfeasance. We contribute to the behavioral ethics literature by identifying a previously underappreciated form of selective attrition that produces internal costs to groups and organizations, independent of reputational consequences and whether the unethicality is publicized.

Keywords: Unethical behavior; Malfeasance; Turnover intentions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-019-04252-2

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