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The destructive nature of morally disengaged leaders: How self-interested values perpetuate morally mute climate
Journal article   Peer reviewed

The destructive nature of morally disengaged leaders: How self-interested values perpetuate morally mute climate

Ilse Strauss, Andrea Steele and Vita Akstinaite Dr
Journal of international doctoral research, Vol.11(1), pp.75-99
2024
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https://jidr.online/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/jidr-2024-published.pdfView
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Abstract

unethical leadership employee mutism moral disengagement leadership Industrial and organisational psychology (incl. human factors)
The destructive nature of unethical leadership can be seen in immoral behaviours used by senior leaders who morally mute employees. Research shows that unethical leadership behaviours may contribute to employee mutism, however, there is a paucity of research investigating the relationship between unethical leadership practices and employee moral voice. The current study aimed to better understand how unethical leadership practices and leader values relate to employee moral voice and ethical climates. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees who each had experience with a leader they deemed to be unethical. Results of this study show that unethical senior leaders used distortive communication, including euphemistic labelling, shaming, and moral justification, to prevent employees from speaking up about moral issues. These findings suggest that a socio-cognitive triadic interplay of factors, namely personal, organisational, and environmental, are facilitated by senior leaders to morally disengage from ethical concerns of employees, resulting in socially learned employee moral mutism. This study extends moral disengagement theory into the unethical leadership context.

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