IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jobhdp/v130y2015icp147-159.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Hypocrisy by association: When organizational membership increases condemnation for wrongdoing

Author

Listed:
  • Effron, Daniel A.
  • Lucas, Brian J.
  • O’Connor, Kieran

Abstract

Hypocrisy occurs when people fail to practice what they preach. Four experiments document the hypocrisy-by-association effect, whereby failing to practice what an organization preaches can make an employee seem hypocritical and invite moral condemnation. Participants judged employees more harshly for the same transgression when it was inconsistent with ethical values the employees’ organization promoted, and ascriptions of hypocrisy mediated this effect (Studies 1–3). The results did not support the possibility that inconsistent transgressions simply seemed more harmful. In Study 4, participants were less likely to select a job candidate whose transgression did (vs. did not) contradict a value promoted by an organization where he had once interned. The results suggest that employees are seen as morally obligated to uphold the values that their organization promotes, even by people outside of the organization. We discuss how observers will judge someone against different ethical standards depending on where she or he works.

Suggested Citation

  • Effron, Daniel A. & Lucas, Brian J. & O’Connor, Kieran, 2015. "Hypocrisy by association: When organizational membership increases condemnation for wrongdoing," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 147-159.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:130:y:2015:i:c:p:147-159
    DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2015.05.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597815000527
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.obhdp.2015.05.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Horton & David Rand & Richard Zeckhauser, 2011. "The online laboratory: conducting experiments in a real labor market," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 14(3), pages 399-425, September.
    2. Cable, Daniel M. & Judge, Timothy A., 1996. "Person-Organization Fit, Job Choice Decisions, and Organizational Entry," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 294-311, September.
    3. Tony Simons, 2002. "Behavioral Integrity: The Perceived Alignment Between Managers' Words and Deeds as a Research Focus," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(1), pages 18-35, February.
    4. Hannes Leroy & Michael Palanski & Tony Simons, 2012. "Authentic Leadership and Behavioral Integrity as Drivers of Follower Commitment and Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(3), pages 255-264, May.
    5. repec:cup:judgdm:v:5:y:2010:i:5:p:411-419 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Zemba, Yuriko & Young, Maia J. & Morris, Michael W., 2006. "Blaming leaders for organizational accidents: Proxy logic in collective- versus individual-agency cultures," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 101(1), pages 36-51, September.
    7. Palanski, Michael E. & Yammarino, Francis J., 2007. "Integrity and Leadership:: Clearing the Conceptual Confusion," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 171-184, June.
    8. Anne Davis & Hannah Rothstein, 2006. "The Effects of the Perceived Behavioral Integrity of Managers on Employee Attitudes: A Meta-analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 67(4), pages 407-419, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yan, Liuxin & Emil Chai, Valentino & Chi Yam, Kai, 2024. "Demeaning extrinsic motivation leads to increased perceptions of hypocrisy," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    2. Effron, Daniel A. & Miller, Dale T., 2015. "Do as I say, not as I’ve done: Suffering for a misdeed reduces the hypocrisy of advising others against it," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 16-32.
    3. Lauren Lanahan & Daniel Armanios, 2018. "Does More Certification Always Benefit a Venture?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(5), pages 931-947, October.
    4. Hafenbrädl, Sebastian & Waeger, Daniel, 2021. "The business case for CSR: A trump card against hypocrisy?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 838-848.
    5. Kirsten Cowan & Atefeh Yazdanparast, 2021. "Consequences of Moral Transgressions: How Regulatory Focus Orientation Motivates or Hinders Moral Decoupling," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 170(1), pages 115-132, April.
    6. Aray, Yulia & Dikova, Desislava & Garanina, Tatiana & Veselova, Anna, 2021. "The hunt for international legitimacy: Examining the relationship between internationalization, state ownership, location and CSR reporting of Russian firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(5).
    7. Wagner, Tillmann & Korschun, Daniel & Troebs, Cord-Christian, 2020. "Deconstructing corporate hypocrisy: A delineation of its behavioral, moral, and attributional facets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 385-394.
    8. Fehr, Ryan & Gupta, Abhinav & Guarana, Cristiano, 2021. "Rewarding morality: How corporate social responsibility shapes top management team compensation votes," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 170-188.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yurou Liu & Jinyang Liu, 2024. "Social Integrity and Stock Price Crash Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 190(3), pages 703-721, March.
    2. He Peng & Feng Wei, 2018. "Trickle-Down Effects of Perceived Leader Integrity on Employee Creativity: A Moderated Mediation Model," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 837-851, July.
    3. Ziya Ete & Olga Epitropaki & Qin Zhou & Les Graham, 2022. "Leader and Organizational Behavioral Integrity and Follower Behavioral Outcomes: The Role of Identification Processes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 176(4), pages 741-760, April.
    4. He Peng & Feng Wei, 2020. "How and When Does Leader Behavioral Integrity Influence Employee Voice? The Roles of Team Independence Climate and Corporate Ethical Values," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(3), pages 505-521, October.
    5. Fuan Li & Sixue Zhang & Xuelian Yang, 2018. "Moral Integrity and Relationship Commitment: An Empirical Examination in a Cross-Cultural Setting," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 785-798, September.
    6. Cambier, Fanny & Poncin, Ingrid, 2020. "Inferring brand integrity from marketing communications: The effects of brand transparency signals in a consumer empowerment context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 260-270.
    7. David Prottas, 2013. "Relationships Among Employee Perception of Their Manager’s Behavioral Integrity, Moral Distress, and Employee Attitudes and Well-Being," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(1), pages 51-60, March.
    8. Vincent Giolito, 2015. "Toward a unified "Theory Y" of leadership: Leader self-awareness, ethics and integrity as key attributes of positive leadership," Working Papers CEB 15-043, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    9. Yongjun Choi & David J. Yoon & Dongkyu Kim, 2020. "Leader Behavioral Integrity and Employee In-Role Performance: The Roles of Coworker Support and Job Autonomy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-14, June.
    10. Martha Andrews & K. Kacmar & Charles Kacmar, 2015. "The Interactive Effects of Behavioral Integrity and Procedural Justice on Employee Job Tension," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(3), pages 371-379, February.
    11. Tony Simons & Hannes Leroy & Veroniek Collewaert & Stijn Masschelein, 2015. "How Leader Alignment of Words and Deeds Affects Followers: A Meta-analysis of Behavioral Integrity Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(4), pages 831-844, December.
    12. K. Michele Kacmar & Reginald Tucker, 2016. "The Moderating Effect of Supervisor’s Behavioral Integrity on the Relationship between Regulatory Focus and Impression Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(1), pages 87-98, April.
    13. Ariail, Donald L. & Khayati, Amine & Shawver, Tara, 2021. "Perceptions by employed accounting students of ethical leadership and political skill: Evidence for including political skill in ethics pedagogy," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    14. Michael Palanski & Kristin Cullen & William Gentry & Chelsea Nichols, 2015. "Virtuous Leadership: Exploring the Effects of Leader Courage and Behavioral Integrity on Leader Performance and Image," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 297-310, December.
    15. Sean A. Way & Tony Simons & Hannes Leroy & Elizabeth A. Tuleja, 2018. "What is in it for Me? Middle Manager Behavioral Integrity and Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 765-777, July.
    16. Mark Gosling & Heh Huang, 2009. "The Fit Between Integrity and Integrative Social Contracts Theory," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 90(3), pages 407-417, December.
    17. Swain, Ajaya K. & Cao, Qing Ray & Gardner, William L., 2018. "Six Sigma success: Looking through authentic leadership and behavioral integrity theoretical lenses," Operations Research Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 5(C), pages 120-132.
    18. Erica Steckler & Cynthia Clark, 2019. "Authenticity and Corporate Governance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(4), pages 951-963, April.
    19. Alan Lawton & Iliana Páez, 2015. "Developing a Framework for Ethical Leadership," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(3), pages 639-649, September.
    20. Jen-Shou Yang & Li-Ching Tsai, 2023. "The moderating effects of trustor characteristics and the cost of being trusted on the relationship between felt trust and OCB intention," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(7), pages 2417-2441, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:130:y:2015:i:c:p:147-159. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/obhdp .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.