IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v192y2024i1d10.1007_s10551-023-05544-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Entitlement Versus Obligation: The Role of Attributed Motives in Subordinate Reactions to Leader Leniency

Author

Listed:
  • Zheng Zhu

    (Nankai University)

  • Xingwen Chen

    (Fudan University)

  • Mengxi Yang

    (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
    MOE Social Science Laboratory of Digital Economic Forecasts and Policy Simulation at UCAS)

  • Wansi Chen

    (East China University of Science and Technology)

Abstract

Although previous research has examined the effectiveness of various levels of punitive reactions to misconduct, researchers have given leader leniency relatively inadequate attention. Prior studies consistently suggest the beneficial effects of reacting less punitively toward misconduct. The current research challenges this notion by delineating a mixed effect of leader leniency on subordinate psychological and behavioral reactions. Building on social exchange theory (i.e., reciprocity norm and rank equilibration norm) and motive attribution literature, the authors argue that when subordinates hold high levels of instrumental motive attribution, leader leniency relates positively to subordinate psychological entitlement, which in turn leads to workplace deviance. In contrast, when subordinates develop high levels of value-expressive motive attribution, leader leniency is positively associated with their felt obligation toward leaders, which positively influences their subsequent organizational citizenship behavior. The results of a field study, a scenario experiment, and a recall experiment conducted to test these hypotheses confirm the double-edged effects of leader leniency. These findings have important implications for theory and practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Zheng Zhu & Xingwen Chen & Mengxi Yang & Wansi Chen, 2024. "Entitlement Versus Obligation: The Role of Attributed Motives in Subordinate Reactions to Leader Leniency," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 192(1), pages 147-166, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:192:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s10551-023-05544-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-023-05544-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-023-05544-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-023-05544-4?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. Cam Caldwell & Rolf Dixon, 2010. "Love, Forgiveness, and Trust: Critical Values of the Modern Leader," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 93(1), pages 91-101, April.
    2. A. Newman & G. Schwarz & B. Cooper & S. Sendjaya, 2017. "How Servant Leadership Influences Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Roles of LMX, Empowerment, and Proactive Personality," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(1), pages 49-62, September.
    3. Messick, David M., 1999. "Alternative logics for decision making in social settings," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 11-28, May.
    4. Bertels, Stephanie & Cody, Michael & Pek, Simon, 2014. "A Responsive Approach to Organizational Misconduct: Rehabilitation, Reintegration, and the Reduction of Reoffense," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(3), pages 343-370, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Junting Lu & Zhe Zhang & Ming Jia, 2019. "Does Servant Leadership Affect Employees’ Emotional Labor? A Social Information-Processing Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(2), pages 507-518, October.
    2. Argandoña, Antonio, 2015. "A Framework For The Analysis Of Spirituality At Work," IESE Research Papers D/1122, IESE Business School.
    3. Joseph McManus, 2021. "Emotions and Ethical Decision Making at Work: Organizational Norms, Emotional Dogs, and the Rational Tales They Tell Themselves and Others," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(1), pages 153-168, February.
    4. Ângela Leite & Ana Costa & Beatriz Ribeiro & Carolina Fonseca & Inês Ribeiro & Joana Mesquita & Sara Ribeiro, 2023. "Being Female and in a Romantic Relationship Enhances the Association between Satisfaction with Love Life and Capacity to Love," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(23), pages 1-15, November.
    5. Myrseth, Kristian Ove R. & Riener, Gerhard & Wollbrant, Conny, 2013. "Tangible temptation in the social dilemma : cash, cooperation, and self-control," Borradores Departamento de Economía 17489, Universidad de Antioquia, CIE.
    6. McGinn, Kathleen L. & Milkman, Katherine L. & Nöth, Markus, 2012. "Walking the talk in multiparty bargaining: An experimental investigation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 278-291.
    7. Jianji Zeng & Guangyi Xu, 2020. "How Servant Leadership Motivates Innovative Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-14, July.
    8. Bruno S. Frey & Stephan Meier, 2004. "Social Comparisons and Pro-social Behavior: Testing "Conditional Cooperation" in a Field Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(5), pages 1717-1722, December.
    9. William B. Tayler & Robert J. Bloomfield, 2011. "Norms, Conformity, and Controls," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3), pages 753-790, June.
    10. Émilie Lapointe & Christian Vandenberghe, 2018. "Examination of the Relationships Between Servant Leadership, Organizational Commitment, and Voice and Antisocial Behaviors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(1), pages 99-115, March.
    11. Michiel Frederick Coetzer & Mark Bussin & Madelyn Geldenhuys, 2017. "The Functions of a Servant Leader," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-32, February.
    12. Eva Baarle & Steven Baarle & Guy Widdershoven & Roland Bal & Jan-Willem Weenink, 2024. "Sexual Boundary Violations: Exploring How the Interplay Between Violations, Retributive, and Restorative Responses Affects Teams," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 191(1), pages 131-146, April.
    13. Matthew W. McCarter & Anya C. Samak & Roman M. Sheremeta, 2014. "Divided Loyalists or Conditional Cooperators? Creating Consensus about Cooperation in Multiple Simultaneous Social Dilemmas," Working Papers 14-16, Chapman University, Economic Science Institute.
    14. Zafar, Basit, 2011. "An experimental investigation of why individuals conform," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(6), pages 774-798, August.
    15. Jianhua Zhang & Xiaolong Liu & Dimitris Ballas, 2023. "Spatial and relational peer effects on environmental behavioral imitation," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 25(4), pages 575-599, October.
    16. Richard Martin & John Randal, 2005. "Voluntary contributions to a public good: A natural field experiment," Natural Field Experiments 00306, The Field Experiments Website.
    17. repec:bfv:journl:016 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Lukasz W. Jochemczyk & Andrzej Nowak, 2010. "Constructing a Network of Shared Agreement: A Model of Communication Processes in Negotiations," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 19(6), pages 591-620, November.
    19. Sikander Hussain & Xiongying Niu, 2019. "The Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Creativity: The Mediating role of Psychological Capital," International Journal of Science and Business, IJSAB International, vol. 3(4), pages 17-27.
    20. McCarter, Matthew W. & Budescu, David V. & Scheffran, Jürgen, 2011. "The give-or-take-some dilemma: An empirical investigation of a hybrid social dilemma," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 116(1), pages 83-95, September.
    21. Claudia Peus & Jenny Wesche & Bernhard Streicher & Susanne Braun & Dieter Frey, 2012. "Authentic Leadership: An Empirical Test of Its Antecedents, Consequences, and Mediating Mechanisms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 107(3), pages 331-348, May.

    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:kap:jbuset:v:192:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s10551-023-05544-4. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.