Religiosity as a buffer against the impact of abusive supervision on employee unethical behavior: a moderated mediation model

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Leadership and Organization Development Journal

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Abstract

Purpose: This research seeks to examine the mitigating effect of religiosity on the relationship between abusive supervision and unethical behavior in employees, with moral disengagement serving as a mediating factor. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the study proposes an overarching moderated mediation framework to analyze this complex dynamic. Design/methodology/approach: The testing of the model was based on hierarchical data obtained from 70 work units in services sector. Within this framework, 70 supervisors evaluated the unethical conduct of employees, while 700 employees assessed the abusive supervision they experienced and reported on their own moral disengagement and religiosity. For the analysis of both the measurement and the hypothesized models, multilevel modeling techniques in the Mplus software were utilized. Findings: The study's findings indicate a direct positive link between abusive supervision and employees' unethical behavior, with moral disengagement mediating this relationship. Furthermore, the research discovered that abusive supervision leads to unethical behavior in employees through moral disengagement only in instances where their religiosity is low. Originality/value: This research delves deeper by elucidating the role of moral disengagement in the dynamic between abusive supervision and unethical behavior. Diverging from prior research, this study uniquely highlights the moderating role of religiosity, showing its potential to weaken the impact of abusive supervision on unethical behavior in employees through moral disengagement.

ISSN

0143-7739

Publisher

Emerald

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Abusive supervision, Moral disengagement, Multi-level modeling, Religiosity, Unethical behavior

Scopus ID

85201099172

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

Link to Full Text

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