Cited by 1,159Ethics in Business and EducationJob Satisfaction and Organizational BehaviorPsychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment

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WHY EMPLOYEES DO BAD THINGS: MORAL DISENGAGEMENT AND UNETHICAL ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

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MOORE, CELIA, DETERT, JAMES R., KLEBE TREVIÑO, LINDA, BAKER, VICKI L., MAYER, DAVID M.·2012·Personnel Psychology

DOI 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01237.x

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Abstract

We examine the influence of individuals’ propensity to morally disengage on a broad range of unethical organizational behaviors. First, we develop a parsimonious, adult‐oriented, valid, and reliable measure of an individual's propensity to morally disengage, and demonstrate the relationship between it and a number of theoretically relevant constructs in its nomological network. Then, in 4 additional studies spanning laboratory and field settings, we demonstrate the power of the propensity to moral disengage to predict multiple types of unethical organizational behavior. In these studies we demonstrate that the propensity to morally disengage predicts several outcomes (self‐reported unethical behavior, a decision to commit fraud, a self‐serving decision in the workplace, and supervisor‐ and coworker‐reported unethical work behaviors) beyond other established individual difference antecedents of unethical organizational behavior, as well as the most closely related extant measure of the construct. We conclude that scholars and practitioners seeking to understand a broad range of undesirable workplace behaviors can benefit from taking an individual's propensity to morally disengage into account. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

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Authors: MOORE, C., DETERT, J. R., KLEBE TREVIÑO, L., BAKER, V. L., & MAYER, D. M.
Affiliations: London Business School (GB)
Cornell University (US)
Albion College (US)
University of Michigan (US)
Corresponding author: MOORE, CELIA
ORCID: MOORE, CELIA
DETERT, JAMES R.
BAKER, VICKI L.
MAYER, DAVID M.
Venue: Personnel Psychology
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2012-02-27
Volume: 65
Issue: 1
Pages: 1-48
ISSN: 0031-5826 (ISSN-L)
1744-6570
DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01237.x
OpenAlex: W2119482439
Cited by: 1,159
References: 125
Citations by year: 2026: 140 · 2025: 126 · 2024: 117 · 2023: 139 · 2022: 112 · 2021: 114 · 2020: 90 · 2019: 71 · 2018: 63 · 2017: 38 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 46 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 7
FWCI: 69.24
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
hdl.handle.net
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: Personnel Psychology (publishedVersion)
Deep Blue (University of Michigan) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Ethics in Business and Education
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
Keywords: moral disengagement, individual differences, fraud, self-serving behavior, unethical workplace behavior

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WHY EMPLOYEES DO BAD THINGS: MORAL DISENGAGEMENT AND UNETHICAL ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

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