Monkey see, monkey do, monkey tell? Exploring the relationship between counterproductive work behavior engagement and the likelihood of reporting others

ABSTRACT

Existing literature on counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) has focused on the influence that interpersonal and organizational factors have on predicting said behavior. However, more recent studies have begun to explore the dimensionality of CWB in relation to the likelihood of coworkers reporting coworkers’ CWBs. Likelihood of reporting CWB across various types of CWB, and the relationships between self-reported CWB were assessed across two studies. The studies did so utilizing two different measures of CWB and two different measures of CWB reporting, and found very similar results. Results suggest those employees who report one type of CWB behavior would also be more willing to report other types of CWBs, and those who have lower self-reported CWB are more likely to report CWB.

KEYWORDS:

• Counterproductive work behavior
• ethical behavior
• reporting

Data availability statement

Data used in this study are available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.