When the Punisher is Both Potential Victim and (Intended) Beneficiary: Investigating Observers’ Attitudinal and Behavioral Reactions Toward Organizational Punishment Severity for Unethical Pro-Organizational Behaviors

Xuemei Liu, Ying Wang (), Fan Yang and Qianyao Huang
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Xuemei Liu: Zhongnan University of Economics and Law
Ying Wang: University of International Business and Economics
Fan Yang: Southeast University
Qianyao Huang: Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Journal of Business Ethics, 2024, vol. 195, issue 4, No 9, 859-877

Abstract: Abstract While unethical behaviors that are intended to benefit the self are often severely punished, unethical behaviors that are intended to benefit the organization (unethical pro-organizational behaviors, UPBs) are disciplined within organizations at different levels of severity. Building on the sensemaking theoretical framework, we study how employees make sense of what the organization is like through observing what the organization has done (i.e., different levels of punishment imposed for UPBs) and how employees subsequently react to the results of sensemaking (i.e., affective commitment to the organization)—increased or decreased turnover and UPB engagement intention. By conducting a vignette-based experimental study and a time-lagged field study, we find that affective commitment to the organization of observers, especially those with a high moral disengagement propensity, increases at a low-to-moderate level of punishment severity for UPBs, and decreases at a moderate-to-high level of punishment severity for UPBs. Furthermore, the impacted affective commitment to the organization subsequently leads to increase in observers’ UPB engagement (intention) and decrease in observers’ turnover intention. We also highlight implications for theory and practice.

Keywords: Punishment severity for UPBs; Observers’ affective commitment to organization; Observers’ moral disengagement propensity; Turnover intention; UPB engagement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-024-05642-x

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