Middle-Rank Morality: Understanding the Hierarchical Origin of Unethical Behavior

Abstract

Existing research offers contradictory evidence regarding the relationship between hierarchical rank and unethical behavior. Some studies have found that low-ranking individuals are highly unethical whereas other studies have found that high-ranking individuals are highly unethical. We argue that both findings may be correct, but, importantly, that middle-ranking individuals are the most ethical. Five archival and two experimental studies involving 58,000 observations consistently found a curvilinear relationship between hierarchical rank and unethical behavior: middle-ranking individuals behaved more ethically than high and low-ranking individuals across numerous operationalizations of hierarchical rank (e.g. objective past performance, assigned rank, subjective social class, SES) and unethical behavior (e.g. test tampering, marital infidelity, unethical search engine queries, technical fouls). Perceptions of role uncertainty mediated this middle-rank-morality effect. The results highlight the importance of distinguishing among high, low, and middle-ranks in social hierarchies. These results also reveal the organizational positions from which unethical behavior is most and least likely to emerge – practical knowledge that is crucial to developing and implementing strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of unethical behavior in the workplace.