Counterproductive Counterproductive Leader BehaviorLeader Behavior

Hannah L. Jackson & Hannah L. Jackson &

Deniz S. Ones Deniz S. Ones

Counterproductive Leader BehaviorCounterproductive Leader Behavior

Intentional behavior enacted by Intentional behavior enacted by leaders that involves misuse of leaders that involves misuse of position or authority for personal position or authority for personal and/or organizational benefit and/or organizational benefit

Leader behavior may be acceptable Leader behavior may be acceptable by the organization’s standards but by the organization’s standards but violate societal normsviolate societal norms

Counterproductive Workplace Counterproductive Workplace Behavior (CWB)Behavior (CWB)

CWB is intentional/volitional behavior CWB is intentional/volitional behavior enacted by employees and viewed enacted by employees and viewed by the organization as contrary to its by the organization as contrary to its legitimate interests legitimate interests

CWB and LeadersCWB and Leaders

Researchers have tended to treat Researchers have tended to treat leaders and their behaviors as leaders and their behaviors as essentially distinct from those essentially distinct from those considered in existing CWB theories considered in existing CWB theories and models and models

The Prevalence of CWBThe Prevalence of CWB

CWB has been recorded for workers CWB has been recorded for workers of all types of organizations and for of all types of organizations and for employees at all levels within them, employees at all levels within them, whether they be salaried whether they be salaried professionals or nonprofessionals, professionals or nonprofessionals, managers or non-supervisory managers or non-supervisory employees employees

Why Examine Leaders and CWB?Why Examine Leaders and CWB?

Opportunities for serious misconduct Opportunities for serious misconduct are at least as great among are at least as great among managers and executivesmanagers and executives

A handful of leaders engaging in A handful of leaders engaging in CWB can do as much if not more CWB can do as much if not more damage than a large number of damage than a large number of front-line workers front-line workers

Leaders and EthicsLeaders and Ethics

Ethical issues are ever present for Ethical issues are ever present for leaders, who must continually face leaders, who must continually face conflicting stakeholders, interests, conflicting stakeholders, interests, and values and values

Transformational LeadershipTransformational Leadership

Communicating a collective vision Communicating a collective vision and inspiring their followers to look and inspiring their followers to look beyond self-interests and perform for beyond self-interests and perform for the good of the group the good of the group

Transactional Leadership Transactional Leadership

Controlling followers’ behaviors and Controlling followers’ behaviors and handling problems by engaging in handling problems by engaging in some transaction between the leader some transaction between the leader and subordinate and subordinate

What Makes an Unethical Leader?What Makes an Unethical Leader?

Frequently operate with egotistic Frequently operate with egotistic intent intent

Employ controlling versus Employ controlling versus empowering strategies to influence empowering strategies to influence followers followers

Fail to abstain from vices Fail to abstain from vices

Taking a Broad View of CWBTaking a Broad View of CWB

Allows researchers to generalize to Allows researchers to generalize to unstudied but related behaviorunstudied but related behavior

The possibility of a unified concept or The possibility of a unified concept or dimension of CWBdimension of CWB

The possibility of finding common The possibility of finding common antecedents antecedents

One View of CWBOne View of CWB

CWB can be grouped into broad CWB can be grouped into broad categories:categories:• Property Deviance - acquisition or Property Deviance - acquisition or

damage of employer assets damage of employer assets • Production Deviance - violation of norms Production Deviance - violation of norms

specifying the quality and quantity of specifying the quality and quantity of work to be accomplished work to be accomplished

• Interpersonal CWB – Sexual harassment Interpersonal CWB – Sexual harassment and verbal abuseand verbal abuse

A Recent Model of CWBA Recent Model of CWB

CWB can be distinguished between CWB can be distinguished between behaviors targeted at the behaviors targeted at the organization and behaviors targeted organization and behaviors targeted at organization members at organization members

Further divided by behaviors directly Further divided by behaviors directly related to job performance and related to job performance and behaviors not related to job behaviors not related to job performanceperformance

What About Leaders?What About Leaders?

It seems likely that misconduct by It seems likely that misconduct by leaders has elements in common leaders has elements in common with misconduct by otherswith misconduct by others

If leadership behavior is different, If leadership behavior is different, this represents an opportunity to this represents an opportunity to expand the CWB constructexpand the CWB construct

Antecedents of CWBAntecedents of CWB

Considering both personality Considering both personality andand environmental antecedents will be environmental antecedents will be essential for a complete essential for a complete understanding of CWB understanding of CWB

Individual Difference as Individual Difference as AntecedentsAntecedents

Problems in socializationProblems in socialization Attitudes regarding deviance and Attitudes regarding deviance and

thefttheft Problems with authority Problems with authority Excitement seekingExcitement seeking Social influenceSocial influence Unstable upbringingUnstable upbringing Unmet needs Unmet needs

Situational Influences as Situational Influences as AntecedentsAntecedents

Inflexible policiesInflexible policies Organizational injusticeOrganizational injustice Competitive environmentCompetitive environment Economic conditionsEconomic conditions Reward systemsReward systems Adverse working conditions Adverse working conditions Organizational cultureOrganizational culture

Environmental FactorsEnvironmental Factors

Leaders have some control over the Leaders have some control over the situational factors that might situational factors that might influence CWB therefore it is worth influence CWB therefore it is worth considering individual differencesconsidering individual differences

Individual Differences, Leadership, Individual Differences, Leadership, and CWBand CWB

Integrity tests substantially predict Integrity tests substantially predict CWB CWB

The big five personality variables of The big five personality variables of agreeableness, conscientiousness agreeableness, conscientiousness and emotional stability are and emotional stability are associated with CWBassociated with CWB

Perpetrators’ Explanations for Their Perpetrators’ Explanations for Their CWB CWB

Denial of harm Denial of harm Unnecessary or unjust lawsUnnecessary or unjust laws Achievement vital to economic goals Achievement vital to economic goals

or even survival or even survival Expectations and pressure from Expectations and pressure from

others others Everybody else is doing it Everybody else is doing it

Guidelines for HRGuidelines for HR

Train employees to reflect upon a Train employees to reflect upon a proposed action or decision from proposed action or decision from another perspective another perspective

Guidelines for HR ContinuedGuidelines for HR Continued

Consider some form of performance Consider some form of performance evaluation approach to enable others evaluation approach to enable others to focus not only on the to focus not only on the numbers/financials produced by numbers/financials produced by leaders, but also how they were metleaders, but also how they were met

Guidelines for HR ContinuedGuidelines for HR Continued

Foster an ethical environment Foster an ethical environment through:through:• Mechanisms for reporting and discussing Mechanisms for reporting and discussing

perceived ethical issues/problems perceived ethical issues/problems without fear of retribution without fear of retribution

• Verification procedures for code-Verification procedures for code-compliance during key activities compliance during key activities

Guidelines for HR ContinuedGuidelines for HR Continued

Senior leaders should be encouraged Senior leaders should be encouraged to share information publicly about to share information publicly about important organizational decisions important organizational decisions

Senior officials should signal support Senior officials should signal support for ethical valuesfor ethical values

Reversing CWBReversing CWB

External change agents are likely to External change agents are likely to be the most successful because:be the most successful because:• They signal a break with the past and an They signal a break with the past and an

intention to change for the future intention to change for the future • They bring with them a different They bring with them a different

perspective that promotes questions perspective that promotes questions about long held practices about long held practices

SummarySummary

This chapter examined:This chapter examined: The construct of CWBThe construct of CWB Antecedents to CWBAntecedents to CWB Leadership and CWBLeadership and CWB Environmental factors and CWBEnvironmental factors and CWB Guidelines to prevent CWBGuidelines to prevent CWB