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The Dark Side of Leadership—What Happens When Leaders Behave Badly?

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The Psychology of Ethical Leadership in Organisations

Abstract

If ethical leaders reinforce the bond between employees and the organisation and receive support from the group, it seems reasonable to expect that unethical leaders will weaken this bond and be derogated by the group. In this chapter, we present evidence that this is not necessarily true and that unethical leaders can, under specific circumstances, be allowed not only to deviate from norms but also strategically endorsed by the group. In particular, where unethical leaders make a positive contribution to the group, they are perceived as more competent and are more endorsed; even if that means group members have to overlook unethical behaviour. This potential for leader-driven slippage in ethical standards highlights the importance of organisations establishing procedures to ensure that leaders sustain their ethical standards.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK

    Catarina Morais

  2. School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK

    Georgina Randsley de Moura

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  1. Catarina Morais
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  2. Georgina Randsley de Moura
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Correspondence to Catarina Morais .

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Morais, C., Randsley de Moura, G. (2018). The Dark Side of Leadership—What Happens When Leaders Behave Badly?. In: The Psychology of Ethical Leadership in Organisations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02324-9_4

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