Enhancing employees' duty orientation and moral potency: Dual mechanisms linking ethical psychological climate to ethically focused proactive behaviors

Kubilay Gok, Mayowa T. Babalola, C. Lakshman, John J. Sumanth, Linh Chi Vo, Stijn Decoster, Anjali Bansal, Ahmet Coşkun

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Based on social cognitive theory (SCT), we develop and test a model that links ethical psychological climate to ethically focused proactive behavior (i.e., ethical voice and ethical taking charge) via two distinct mechanisms (i.e., duty orientation and moral potency). Results from multi-wave field studies conducted in the United States, Turkey, France, Vietnam, and India demonstrate that an ethical psychological climate indirectly influences employees' ethical voice and ethical taking charge behaviors through the dual mechanisms of duty orientation and moral potency. Additionally, we find that individuals' moral attentiveness strengthened these mediating processes. Together, these findings suggest that ethical psychological climate is an important antecedent of ethically focused proactive behavior by stimulating individuals' sense of duty and enhancing their moral potency, particularly when employees are already highly attuned to moral issues.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)157-175
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Organizational Behavior
Volume44
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • cross-cultural
  • duty orientation
  • ethical psychological climate
  • ethical taking charge
  • ethical voice
  • moral attentiveness
  • moral potency

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Psychology(all)
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

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