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It’s a Match: Moralization and the Effects of Moral Foundations Congruence on Ethical and Unethical Leadership Perception

Author

Listed:
  • Maxim Egorov

    (Technical University of Munich)

  • Karianne Kalshoven

    (Amsterdam Center For Integrity and Leadership)

  • Armin Pircher Verdorfer

    (Technical University of Munich)

  • Claudia Peus

    (Technical University of Munich)

Abstract

While much research has focused on the effects of ethical and unethical leadership, little is known about how followers come to perceive their leaders as ethical or unethical. In this article, we investigate the co-creation of ethical and unethical leadership perceptions. Specifically, we draw from emerging research on moral congruence in organizational behaviour and empirically investigate the role of congruence in leaders’ and followers’ moral foundations in followers’ perceptions of ethical and unethical leadership. By analysing objective congruence scores from 67 leader–follower dyads by means of polynomial regression with surface response analysis, we find partial support for our theoretically derived predictions. Significant effects were revealed for the fairness, loyalty, and authority moral foundations but not for the care and sanctity moral foundations. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Maxim Egorov & Karianne Kalshoven & Armin Pircher Verdorfer & Claudia Peus, 2020. "It’s a Match: Moralization and the Effects of Moral Foundations Congruence on Ethical and Unethical Leadership Perception," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 167(4), pages 707-723, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:167:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s10551-019-04178-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-019-04178-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sadler-Smith, Eugene, 2012. "Before Virtue: Biology, Brain, Behavior, and the “Moral Sense”," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(2), pages 351-376, April.
    2. Christian N. Thoroughgood & Katina B. Sawyer & Art Padilla & Laura Lunsford, 2018. "Destructive Leadership: A Critique of Leader-Centric Perspectives and Toward a More Holistic Definition," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 627-649, September.
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    4. Brown, Michael E. & Trevino, Linda K. & Harrison, David A., 2005. "Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 117-134, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Craig Crossley & Shannon G. Taylor & Robert C. Liden & David Wo & Ronald F. Piccolo, 2024. "Right From the Start: The Association Between Ethical Leadership, Trust Primacy, and Customer Loyalty," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 193(2), pages 409-426, August.
    2. Sharfa Hassan & Puneet Kaur & Michael Muchiri & Chidiebere Ogbonnaya & Amandeep Dhir, 2023. "Unethical Leadership: Review, Synthesis and Directions for Future Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(2), pages 511-550, March.

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