Investigating when and why employee cheating behavior predicts leader bottom-line mentality

This study explored the relationship between employee cheating behavior and leader bottom-line mentality using the organizational shame framework. We surveyed 372 department and team heads in China using a two-wave time-lagged procedure. The results showed that employee cheating behavior increased leader bottom-line mentality by enhancing leader’s shame, and the degree of leader–subordinate cooperative goal interdependence moderated this relationship. The positive effect of employee cheating behavior on leader’s shame and its positive indirect effect on leader bottom-line mentality via leader’s shame were more pronounced when the interdependence was high rather than low. Finally, leader’s desire for control intensified the effect of the positive interaction between employee cheating behavior and leader–subordinate cooperative goal interdependence on leader’s shame, and it also indirectly impacted leader bottom-line mentality through shame. These findings enrich the theoretical study of bottom-line mentality antecedents and also provide important practical insights for managing employee cheating behavior.