WHY EMPLOYEES DO BAD THINGS: MORAL
DISENGAGEMENT AND UNETHICAL
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
behavior. In these studies we demonstrate that the propensity to morally
disengage predicts several outcomes (self-reported unethical behavior, a
decision to commit fraud, a self-serving decision in the workplace, and
supervisor- and coworker-reported unethical work behaviors) beyond
other established individual difference antecedents of unethical organizational
behavior, as well as the most closely related extant measure
of the construct. We conclude that scholars and practitioners seeking
to understand a broad range of undesirable workplace behaviors can
benefit from taking an individual’s propensity to morally disengage into
account. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.