Mo Chen

Bio: Mo Chen is an academic researcher from Harbin Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social cognitive theory & Mediation. The author has co-authored 1 publications.

The moral dark side of performance pressure: how and when it affects unethical pro-organizational behavior

Abstract: Drawing on social cognitive theory of moral conduct, we hypothesize that performance pressure is positively associated with unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) through the mediation of mora...

Good Intentions, Bad Behavior: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature on Unethical Prosocial Behavior (UPB) at Work

Abstract: Scholars have investigated work behaviors that are intended to help others, yet at the same time violate societal values, norms, laws, or standards of proper conduct. We refer to these actions collectively as unethical prosocial behavior (UPB) at work. In this paper, we provide a critical review of the UPB literature. Our review makes several contributions: First, we clarify definitional issues surrounding UPB, while also offering suggestions for the improvement of measurement and methodology in the study of UPB. Second, we review the major theoretical perspectives that have been adopted in empirical research on UPB at different levels of analysis and summarize the empirical findings on the topic. In doing so, we highlight the theoretical and empirical challenges facing this work. Finally, we develop an agenda for future research that clears a path toward resolving these issues and advancing knowledge of UPB.

Instrumental Support, Relational Attachment, and Subjective Career Success: The Moderating Role of Personal Support

Abstract: Support at work has been linked to a wide range of positive individual and organizational outcomes. However, research to date has overlooked its influence on career-related outcomes. Drawing on attachment theory, we examined the relationship between instrumental support and two aspects of subjective career success—job satisfaction and career satisfaction—and the mediating and moderating roles of relational attachment and personal support, respectively. Results from survey data collected from employees working in Poland provide support for our hypothesized relationships. The findings contribute to a richer understanding of how and when employee subjective career success is influenced by social support and positive relationships in work life. Our findings have theoretical implications for social support, positive workplace relationships, and career success literatures.

Supervisor Bottom-Line Mentality, Performance Pressure, and Workplace Cheating: Moderating Role of Negative Reciprocity

Abstract: Employee cheating at the workplace has reached epidemic proportions and is putting a significant dent on the revenues of corporations. This study evaluates workplace cheating behavior as a consequence of supervisor bottom-line mentality with performance pressure as the mediating mechanism. Most importantly, it scrutinizes the moderating function of negative reciprocity belief in the relation between bottom-line mentality, performance pressure, and cheating in a moderated-mediation model, through the lens of displaced aggression theory. We systematically conduct time-lagged studies in two different populations (Pakistan and United States). Data analysis reveals that (1) bottom-line mentality positively influences workplace cheating behavior through performance pressure and (2) negative reciprocity moderated this indirect relationship. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Unethical leadership: A review, analysis, and research agenda

Abstract: Leaders play a critical role in creating the ethics agenda in organizations. Their communications, decisions, and behaviors influence employees to act ethically or unethically to accomplish organizational goals. To be sure, various reviews within the behavioral ethics literature have highlighted the crucial role that ethical leadership plays in gearing organizations and employees ethically. Yet, numerous documented ethical failings in organizations have evidenced the impact of unethical leadership—where leaders’ unethical conduct or influence on employees promotes unethicality within organizations and generates harmful consequences. Therefore, understanding the darker side of leadership is important. The literature that has emerged in the organizational sciences on the study of unethical leadership, however, is fragmented, creating ambiguities and introducing potential confounds on what constitutes unethical leadership. We review this body of work, summarizing findings on the antecedents, explanatory mechanisms, and consequences of unethical leadership. We then provide an evaluation of the unethical leadership conceptualization, taking stock of previous conceptualizations, problems associated with past approaches, and offer considerations for a conceptualization to progress future scholarship. The goal is to engage scholarly conversation on how to evolve the unethical leadership domain without engaging in logical fallacy or post-hoc rationalization. We offer practical implications for managers to address and minimize unethical leadership within their organizations and outline future research directions to advance our understanding of unethical leadership and its nomological network.

The double-edged sword effect of performance pressure on public employees: The mediation role of mission valence

Abstract: Performance pressure is a unique stressor in the public sector. Prior studies revealed that it could be a challenge that stimulates functional behavior (i.e., vigor and dedication) or a threat that leads to dysfunctional consequences (i.e., exhaustion and depersonalization). But these articles failed to provide an integrated theoretical model to explain both phenomena simultaneously. We introduced the double-edged sword effect (also called the "too-much-of-good-thing" effect) of performance pressure to fill this theoretical gap. Furthermore, the mediation role of mission valence was examined to explore the buffet mechanism toward this nonlinear relationship. We collected 1,464 valid questionnaire data from snowball sampling to test the research model. Our results revealed that: (1) performance pressure had an inverted U-shaped relationship with dedication and mission valence; (2) performance pressure hurt vigor rather than the curvilinear relationship; (3) mission valence can mediate the inverted U-shaped relationship between performance pressure and dedication. These empirical findings give theoretical contributions and practical insights to public personnel management.