Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China
Research findings neglect the inherent tensions (i.e., prioritizing profit over ethical alternatives) in the supervisor bottom-line mentality (SBLM) phenomenon. To extend this line of research, we aim to explore how SBLM, characterized as one-dimensional thinking around securing bottom-line outcomes, triggers employees to engage in results-oriented unethical behavior. Drawing on the social cognitive theory of morality, we theorize that SBLM may disrupt the employees’ moral cognitive process and subsequent moral conduct. Specifically, we propose displacement of responsibility as an underlying mechanism that explains the positive effect of SBLM and employee expediency. We also scrutinize the supervisors’ attitudes and stances toward ethical issues and examine the moderating effects of amoral management on the relationships between SBLM and employees’ expediency. To test our hypotheses, we conducted a scenario-based experiment (Study 1) and a three-wave field study (Study 2) involving 344 employees and 115 supervisors. The results of both studies demonstrate that SBLM positively impacts employees’ expediency through displacement of responsibility. Furthermore, such a moral cognitive process is stronger under high amoral management. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.
