RT Article
T1 Dirty Hands Make Dirty Leaders?! The Effects of Touching Dirty Objects on Rewarding Unethical Subordinates as a Function of a Leader’s Self-Interest
JF Journal of business ethics
VO 115
IS 1
SP 93
OP 100
A1 Cramwinckel, Florien M.
A1 De Cremer, David 1972-
A1 Dijke, Marius van
A2 De Cremer, David 1972-
A2 Dijke, Marius van
LA English
YR 2013
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1785647873
AB We studied the role of social dynamics in moral decision-making and behavior by investigating how physical sensations of dirtiness versus cleanliness influence moral behavior in leader–subordinate relationships, and whether a leader’s self-interest functions as a boundary condition to this effect. A pilot study (N = 78) revealed that when participants imagined rewarding (vs. punishing) unethical behavior of a subordinate, they felt more dirty. Our main experiment (N = 96) showed that directly manipulating dirtiness by allowing leaders to touch a dirty object (fake poop) led to more positive evaluations of, and higher bonuses for, unethical subordinates than touching a clean object (hygienic hand wipe). This effect, however, only emerged when the subordinate’s unethical behavior did not serve the leader’s own interest. Hence, subtle cues such as bodily sensations can shape moral decision-making and behavior in leader–subordinate relationships, but self-interest, as a core characteristic of interdependence, can override the influence of such cues on the leader’s moral behavior.
K1 Subordinate
K1 Rewarding behavior
K1 Physical cues
K1 Physical cleansing
K1 Leader
K1 Ethical Leadership
DO 10.1007/s10551-012-1385-4