Do for My Job! A Moderated Mediation Model of Responsible Leadership and Unethical Pro-job Behavior

Unethical pro-job behavior, as a form of self-externalization, has been intriguing increasingly scholars’ interest. Employees tend to engage in unethical pro-job behaviors that strengthen their bonds with jobs. This study examined the antecedent of unethical pro-job behaviors from the perspective of leadership. 252 supervisor-subordinate dyads data conducted in four foreign-owned enterprises in the east of China showed that responsible leadership negatively affects the employee's unethical pro-job behavior through the mediation effect of moral disengagement; leader identification positively moderates the negative relationship between responsible leadership and moral disengagement; furthermore, the indirect effect of responsible leadership on unethical pro-job behavior through moral disengagement was positively moderated by leader identification. This study discusses theoretical and practical implications.