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Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

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Abstract

Since the conceptualization of unethical pro-organizational behavior ten years ago, scholarly interest in exploring this phenomenon has multiplied. Given a burgeoning body of empirical research, a review of unethical pro-organizational behavior literature is warranted. This study, therefore, systematically reviews the extant literature on unethical pro-organizational behavior and presents a comprehensive theory-based review of the past developments in this field. We classify previous studies based on their underlying theoretical perspectives and discuss the antecedents and consequences of unethical pro-organizational behavior in work context. We also explicate the boundary conditions under which the influence of these antecedents gets accentuated or alleviated. Overall, this study synthesizes past knowledge to elucidate why, how, and when unethical pro-organizational behavior unfolds in the workplace. Finally, the gaps in the extant theorization are identified and an agenda for future research is proposed.

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Adapted from Hunter et al. 2019)

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The paper is a review article and does not generate any new data. Hence, there is no relevant data that may be deposited to any repository.

References

*References marked with an asterisk indicate the studies included in the review.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are truly grateful to all the three anonymous reviewers for their insightful feedback that enabled them to improve the manuscript’s quality.

Funding

No funding, grants, or other support was received for conducting this research.

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Contributions

This manuscript is a part of the first author’s doctoral thesis. The draft was prepared by the first author under the supervision of the second and third authors who reviewed and edited it.

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Correspondence to Koustab Ghosh.

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial conflict of interests to disclose.

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This is a review article. Hence, the study was granted exemption from requiring ethics approval.

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This study does not involve human subjects. Therefore, informed consent was not required.

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Mishra, M., Ghosh, K. & Sharma, D. Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda. J Bus Ethics 179, 63–87 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04764-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04764-w

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