Leader–Follower Congruence in MD Propensity and UPB: A Polynomial Regression Analysis

Abstract

Drawing on previous work on moral disengagement and balance theory, the (in)congruence effect of leader and follower moral disengagement (MD) propensity on followers’ unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) was examined in this study. Dyad data were gathered from 185 CEOs and 555 followers from 185 firms located in China. The polynomial regression analysis results suggest that followers in the presence of leader–follower congruence in MD propensity conduct more UPBs. Moreover, followers conduct more UPBs with MD propensity in the presence of congruence. We also found asymmetrical incongruence effects. Followers engage more in UPBs when their MD propensity exceeds their leaders’ MD propensity than when their leaders’ MD propensity exceeds their own. Overall, the findings emphasize the value of considering followers’ and leaders’ traits for shedding light on the occurrence of UPBs.

Keywords:

• Moral disengagement propensity
• unethical pro-organizational behavior
• congruence
• polynomial regression

Disclosure Statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 72001100); Ministry of Education Project of Humanities and Social Science (Grant No. 20YJC880026; 20YJC630122); Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. NS2020060); Project of Humanities and Social Science of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. 20GLC005); Nanjing University of Finance and Economy (Grant No. gjgfb201925; gigfb201911; gigfb201913).

Notes on contributors

Jun Song

Jun Song, Ph.D, is an assistant professor at Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, China. Her areas of research include individual unethical behavior, abusive supervision, and employee voice.

Jin Yang

Jin Yang, Ph.D, is an instructor at Southwest University of Science and Technology. Her areas of research include servant leadership and employee creativity.

Changqing He

Changqing He, Ph.D, is an assistant professor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China. His areas of research include leadership, human resource management, and business decision making.