Self-sacrificial leadership and employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior: Roles of identification with leaders and collectivism

Employee behavior that is unethical but that may potentially benefit the organization is termed unethical pro-organizational behavior. Based on social identity theory, we examined the influence of a self-sacrificial leadership style on employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior, as well as the mediating effect of identification with leader and the moderating role of collectivism. Participants were 336 Chinese employees in different industries including telecommunications, manufacturing, and catering. Results show that self-sacrificial leadership was positively related to the employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior, and the positive influence was mediated by identification with leader. Additionally, collectivism moderated the relationship between self-sacrificial leadership and the employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior, such that the positive relationship between self-sacrificial leadership and unethical pro-organizational behavior was stronger when collectivism was higher. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.