Based on research by Julia Fulmore, PhD, Kim Nimon, PhD, and Thomas Reio, PhD
In today’s corporate environment, organizations often encourage strong employee commitment. However, this study warns that affective organizational commitment—the emotional attachment an employee feels toward their organization—can have a dark side. When not guided by the right cultural context, it may fuel unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB), such as misreporting, deception, or policy violations performed in the name of helping the company.
Key Points
- Employee commitment can backfire. Affective organizational commitment was positively linked to UPB in stability-focused cultures (hierarchy and market), but not significant in flexibility-focused cultures (clan).
- Culture shapes ethical boundaries. Stability-focused cultures, which emphasize order, rules, or competitiveness, may unintentionally reward unethical acts done for the organization. Flexibility-focused cultures, built on trust and collaboration, do not encourage UPB—even among highly committed employees.
- Not all commitment leads to good behavior. Loyalty can turn into liability when employees feel justified in breaking rules to “help” their organization, particularly in rigid or competitive environments.
- Gender matters. Female employees were significantly less likely to engage in UPB than male counterparts, suggesting gendered dimensions of ethical decision-making.
- Practical implication for leaders: Encouraging commitment alone is not enough. Leaders must align culture with ethics by cultivating flexibility-based values like teamwork and openness—especially in highly committed teams.
Why This Matters
- Reconciling prior research. This study resolves conflicting findings in the literature by identifying organizational culture as the missing moderating variable explaining why committed employees may act unethically in some environments but not others.
- Ethical contagion risk. In rigid, goal-driven cultures, unethical behaviors can spread—especially when seen as organizationally beneficial. Leaders must watch for “ethical blind spots” among their most loyal team members.
- Shifting culture as prevention. For firms with hierarchy or market cultures, introducing elements of clan or adhocracy (e.g., innovation, trust, shared values) may reduce the risk of UPB—without sacrificing performance.
This study suggests that commitment is valuable—but without the right culture, it can open the door to integrity risks.
Based upon the following peer-reviewed manuscript: Fulmore, J. A., Nimon, K., & Reio, T. (2024). The role of organizational culture in the relationship between affective organizational commitment and unethical pro-organizational behavior. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 39(7), 845-862.
