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Ethics Matter: Moderating Leaders’ Power Use and Followers’ Citizenship Behaviors

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  • Peter J. Reiley

    (United States Air Force)

  • Rick R. Jacobs

    (Pennsylvania State University)

Abstract

Followers’ perceptions of their leaders’ ethics have the potential to impact the way they react to the influence of these leaders. The present study of 365 U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets examined how followers’ perceptions of their leaders’ ethics moderated the relationships found between the leaders’ use of power, as conceptualized by French and Raven (Studies in social power, 1959), and the followers’ contextual performance. Our results indicated that leaders’ use of expert, referent, and reward power was associated with higher levels of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) among their followers when the followers perceived these leaders to be more ethical. Moreover, when followers perceived their leaders to be less ethical, these followers reported lower levels of OCBs when their leaders’ utilized referent power. Practical implications, limitations, and future research are also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter J. Reiley & Rick R. Jacobs, 2016. "Ethics Matter: Moderating Leaders’ Power Use and Followers’ Citizenship Behaviors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 69-81, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:134:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s10551-014-2416-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-014-2416-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sherry E. Moss & Meng Song & Sean T. Hannah & Zhen Wang & John J. Sumanth, 2020. "The Duty to Improve Oneself: How Duty Orientation Mediates the Relationship Between Ethical Leadership and Followers’ Feedback-Seeking and Feedback-Avoiding Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(4), pages 615-631, September.
    2. Cenkci Ada T., 2018. "Leader Power, Conflict Handling Styles, and Subordinate Compliance: A Study on Information Technology Professionals in Turkey," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 54(1), pages 18-35, March.
    3. Kim, Rebecca Chunghee & Yoo, Kate Inyoung & Uddin, Helal, 2018. "The Korean Air nut rage scandal: Domestic versus international responses to a viral incident," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 61(4), pages 533-544.
    4. Denton Collins & Gary Fleischman & Stacey Kaden & Juan Manuel Sanchez, 2018. "How Powerful CFOs Camouflage and Exploit Equity-Based Incentive Compensation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(2), pages 591-613, December.
    5. Gro Kvåle & Zuzana Murdoch, 2022. "Making Sense of Stigmatized Organizations: Labelling Contests and Power Dynamics in Social Evaluation Processes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 178(3), pages 675-693, July.
    6. Dirik, Deniz & Eryılmaz, İnan, 2018. "Leader Power Bases and Organizational Outcomes: The Role of Perceived Organizational Politics," Journal of East European Management Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 23(4), pages 532-558.
    7. Fabiola H. Gerpott & Niels Van Quaquebeke & Sofia Schlamp & Sven C. Voelpel, 2019. "An Identity Perspective on Ethical Leadership to Explain Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Interplay of Follower Moral Identity and Leader Group Prototypicality," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 1063-1078, June.
    8. Yuanmei Elly Qu & Marie T. Dasborough & Mi Zhou & Gergana Todorova, 2019. "Should Authentic Leaders Value Power? A Study of Leaders’ Values and Perceived Value Congruence," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 1027-1044, June.

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