Exploring Supervisor Ostracism,Unethical Pro-supervisor Behavior,and Their Influencing Mechanisms

Unethical pro-supervisor behaviors are a worker’ actions that are aimed at benefiting his supervisor but violate social norms.In doing so,he not only gains recognition and favors from his supervisors but also benefits himself.This like any unethical behaviors,on the one hand,often result in excessive use of organizational resources,and,on the other hand,would damage the supervisor’s and company’s reputation,preventing high-quality growth.For example,in 2019 future strategy’s office executives and staffs went beyond their duties to bribe officials,embezzle money,manipulate the market and intentionally spoliate evidence,in order to gain President Park’s support in favor of Vice Chairman Lee Jaeyong’s illegal succession at Samsung Electronics.The case highlights the risks associated with unethical pro-supervisor behavior,including damage to a company’s reputation,loss of trust from customers and investors,and legal and financial penalties.It serves as a cautionary tale for organizations about the importance of fostering a culture of integrity and ethics.While unethical prosupervisor behaviors are common in all types of organizations,there has been very little research conducted specifically on this issue.As a result of the limited availability of theoretical research,the present dissertation aims to explore the important issue of its influencing factors using a mixed method approach.We have conducted three series of studies.In Study 1,we explore the dimensions of unethical pro-supervisor behaviors through interviews based on literature analysis and grounded theory.Results have identified five dimensions of unethical pro-supervisor behavior: concealment of information;exaggeration of performance;withholding negative information;misrepresentation of the truth;and negative talk about others.Highlighting that unethical pro-supervisor behavior is a multifaceted phenomenon that involves personal and organizational factors,that needs to be addressed in organizations rather than pressuring workers to fix themselves.Having important implications for organizations and policymakers in the DRC and other developing countries.First,the results suggest increased training and education for supervisors on ethical behavior in the workplace.Second,the findings suggest that organizations need to create a culture of transparency and accountability in the workplace.In Study 2,we have conducted a scenario-based experiment to examine the interaction effect between supervisor ostracism and family motivation on relational attributions and surface acting,exploring initial evidence for our hypotheses.In the scenario-based experiment,490 participants were assigned randomly to the study’s four conditions.The design of the study was 2(undergraduate students SO:low vs.high)x 2(undergraduate students FM: low vs.high).Results showed that supervisor ostracism was positively related to relational attributions and surface acting.Besides,high supervisor ostracism and high family motivation lowered relational attributions,while high supervisor ostracism and high family motivation increased surface acting.Study 2 has established the internal validity of our findings.However,the external validity was restricted.Hence,based on the conservation of resources theory we conducted Study 3.We have proposed and examined a model of supervisor ostracism outlining the potential mediating and moderating mechanisms that explain its association with unethical pro-supervisor behavior.The proposed research model had high internal consistency and reliability.A time-lagged field study supported our hypotheses(data from538 subordinates).Results showed that supervisor ostracism was positively related to relational attributions and surface acting,and positively predicted unethical prosupervisor behaviors,while family motivation as a moderator had the property to weaken the said relationship.Showing that,the said positive relationship is weakened if workers possess higher levels of family motivation.Supporting our assumption of the positive relationship between supervisor ostracism and unethical pro-supervisor behavior.The study contributes to the literature by adding evidence in support of the conservation of resources theory.The results’ theoretical and practical significance are debated.