Influence of Authentic Leadership on Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior: The Intermediate Role of Work Engagement

Tomasz Gigol

doi:10.3390/su12031182

Abstract

Business ethics are an important part of corporate sustainability. Sustainability concerns not only the environment but also the well-being of employees, which includes work engagement. Authentic leadership has an impact on the work engagement and well-being of subordinates. The aim of the current research is to present the interdependencies between leadership, work engagement, and unethical pro-organizational behavior. A group of 623 employees from various organizations working in various positions in Central and Eastern Poland was surveyed. The relationships between the variables were analyzed using CB-SEM structural modeling methods. The estimation was completed on the basis of the highest probability method. The CB-SEM model was applied in order to verify the hypotheses that had been formulated. The current paper presents an intermediate role of work engagement between supervisors’ leadership and the unethical pro-organizational behavior of subordinates. The survey shows that authentic leadership induces subordinates to engage in unethical pro-organizational behavior. Practical implications were formulated, including company board greater integration of ethics into the core values of organizations and emphasis on learning business ethics in universities and MBA studies.

Highlights

The concept of sustainability pertains to the economy, natural resources, and environmental impacts and the labor environment and its impact on the well-being of employees [1,2]
In a survey conducted by Rego et al [5], approximately 40% of chief executive officers (CEOs) listed the environment and employees as key areas of activity that they consider during corporate sustainability planning
The negative mediation of work engagement between authentic leadership and the unethical pro-organizational behavior that occurs among subordinates on the simplest positions is puzzling

Summary

Introduction

The concept of sustainability pertains to the economy, natural resources, and environmental impacts and the labor environment and its impact on the well-being of employees [1,2]. In the area of human resource management, sustainable development means focusing on the well-being of individuals within the organization [1,4]. In a survey conducted by Rego et al [5], approximately 40% of chief executive officers (CEOs) listed the environment and employees as key areas of activity that they consider during corporate sustainability planning. The concept of sustainable human capital leadership has been proposed [4] and an attempt has even been made to conceptualize “healthy leadership” [8]. Developing employees in a positive organizational climate of trust and ethics is considered one of the most important management practices for sustainable development [5]. The desired characteristics of sustainability leaders include inspiring vision, energizing, and setting an example for subordinates [5]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion