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The influence of organizational identification on the curvilinear relationship between leader humility and follower unethical pro-organizational behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2022

Jun Song Open the ORCID record for Jun Song [Opens in a new window] ,
Kuai Wang  and
Changqing He Open the ORCID record for Changqing He [Opens in a new window]
Jun Song
Affiliation:
School of Business Administration, Nanjing University of Finance & Economics, No. 3 Wenyuan Road, Xianlin College Town, Nanjing 210023, China
Kuai Wang
Affiliation:
School of Business Administration, Nanjing University of Finance & Economics, No. 3 Wenyuan Road, Xianlin College Town, Nanjing 210023, China
Changqing He*
Affiliation:
College of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Jiangjun Ave., Nanjing 211100, China
*
*Corresponding author. Changqing He, E-mail: changqinghe@nuaa.edu.cn
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Abstract

This study utilized social exchange and social learning perspectives to develop a theoretical model about how leader humility predicts follower unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). Using two-wave data obtained from 203 full-time employees nested within 46 work teams in eastern China, regression analyses revealed a nonmonotonic association between leader humility and follower UPB, such that follower UPB was most at intermediate levels of leader humility. Moreover, the strength of this curvilinear relationship was found to be moderated by the followers’ organizational identification, such that the inverted U-curve relationship between leader humility and follower UPB will be stronger for followers with high organizational identification than for those with low organizational identification. Implications in theory and practice, along with limitations of our findings, were discussed.

Keywords

Curvilinear relationshipleader humilityorganizational identificationunethical pro-organizational behavior

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 31 , Issue 2 , March 2025 , pp. 679 - 695
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2022.

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