Dual Effects of Leader Pro‐Group Unethical Behavior: The Role of Attribution in Shaping Employee Reactions

ABSTRACT Shifting the focus from leader unethical pro‐organizational behavior to leader pro‐group unethical behavior, we examine how employees respond to such acts. Drawing on affective events theory and attribution theory, we develop a dual‐pathway model to explain the paradoxical effects of leader pro‐group unethical behavior on employees. Through a scenario‐based experiment and a three‐wave field study, we find that employees' reactions depend on how they interpret the leader's motivations. When employees believe that leader pro‐group unethical behavior is motivated by a desire to benefit the group, this conduct is more likely to engender gratitude, which, in turn, elicits more proactive followership behavior and less negative gossip about the leader. Conversely, when employees perceive leader pro‐group unethical behavior as self‐serving, this conduct is more likely to evoke anger, which, in turn, increases negative gossip about the leader. Our findings highlight the importance of attributed motivations in shaping employees' paradoxical emotional and behavioral reactions to leader pro‐group unethical behavior, encouraging further research into this complex phenomenon.