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Moral licensing effect of work engagement: The role of psychological entitlement and relationship conflict with supervisors

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  • Lianghua Zhang
  • Yongli Wang

Abstract

Given the importance of work engagement for organizations and the almost unified and steadfast understanding of its benefits, it is imperative to investigate the potential downside of work engagement to prevent unexpected damage. However, there has been relatively little research on its negative impacts. Drawing on the moral licensing theory, this study identifies the potential negative effects of work engagement by exploring the mediating role of psychological entitlement. An online experiment and a survey are conducted to test the theoretical model. The results reveal that work engagement leads to deviant workplace behavior through psychological entitlement only in cases where there is a higher level of relationship conflict with supervisors. The conclusions of this study shed light on how work engagement negatively affects organizations. The current study also contributes to practice by suggesting that supervisors should be aware of employees with a higher level of work engagement and communicate with them in a reasonable manner.

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  • Lianghua Zhang & Yongli Wang, 2025. "Moral licensing effect of work engagement: The role of psychological entitlement and relationship conflict with supervisors," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(2), pages 423-436, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:34:y:2025:i:2:p:423-436
    DOI: 10.1111/beer.12659
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