Haven’t You Heard? Effects Of Gossip On Pro-Supervisor Unethical Behavior

Abstract

Our research tested the idea that gossip received from one’s supervisor motivates employees to engage in unethical behavior that benefits their supervisors (pro- supervisor unethical behavior). Drawing from attribution and social exchange theories, we theorized and hypothesized that this idea occurs because employees make attributions about their supervisors when they share gossip with them, which influences their trust in supervisors and motivates pro-supervisor unethical behavior. An online experiment conducted in the U.S. with 228 participants provided supported for our theory and hypotheses. Findings show that when employees received positive gossip from their supervisors, a higher level of pro- supervisor unethical behavior ensues, compared to employees who received negative gossip. This finding was further mediated by a higher level of trust in the supervisor. We also found that there was no effect of gossip domain (work related versus non-work related) on the levels of employees’ pro-supervisor unethical behaviors. Finally, we discuss implications of our findings for organizational sciences research and the management of employees’ unethical behaviors in firms today.