Be Careful What You Ask for: The Negative Consequences of Unethical Requests on Job Performance and Citizenship Behaviors

Posted: 6 Mar 2015

Date Written: March 4, 2015

Abstract

Does receiving requests to engage in morally questionable behavior at work decrease one’s job performance? We draw on moral psychology and a psychological theory of meaning-making to explain the negative performance consequences of being the recipient of unethical requests. Specifically, participants of a laboratory experiment who received an unethical request from an experimenter performed worse on a cognitive task than those in a neutral-request condition (Study 1). Moreover, paired survey responses from a sample of U.S. working adults and their supervisors showed negative relationships between receiving unethical requests at work and both job performance and citizenship behaviors directed at the organization. These effects were mediated by a decrease in intrinsic job motivation, and moderated by moral disengagement (Study 2). Taken together, our studies suggest that receiving unethical requests can fundamentally change the meaning of one’s work and have negative performance consequences.

Suggested Citation

Smith, Isaac and Kouchaki, Maryam and Wareham, Justin, Be Careful What You Ask for: The Negative Consequences of Unethical Requests on Job Performance and Citizenship Behaviors (March 4, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2573727

Isaac Smith

Cornell University ( email )

Ithaca, NY 14853
United States

Maryam Kouchaki (Contact Author)

Northwestern Kellogg School of Management ( email )

2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

Justin Wareham

University of Utah ( email )

1645 E. Campus Center
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
United States

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