Feeling proud but guilty? Unpacking the paradoxical nature of unethical pro-organizational behavior

Abstract

Integrating appraisal theories of emotion and the literature of self-conscious emotion, we argue that UPB has a paradoxical nature that can lead to ambivalent emotional reactions, with implications for subsequent behavior. On the one hand, because UPB benefits one’s organization, it should trigger feelings of pride. However, given its unethical nature, UPB should also trigger feelings of guilt. Using an experience sampling study of 91 customer-service agent dyads in the technology consultancy industry, we find that daily UPB is positively associated with daily pride and guilt. These emotions in turn lead to increased citizenship behavior directed towards the organization and customers, respectively. We replicate these findings with another experience sampling study of 78 triads (focal employees, co-workers, and customers) in the financial service industry. More importantly, we find that service employees’ guilt proneness moderates the link between daily UPB and pride, such that UPB leads to heightened feelings of pride especially when the service employees have lower levels of guilt proneness. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of our work.