Why Does Good Previously Lead into Bad Subsequently on the Employees? Based on the Theory Framework of Moral License

Guan Tao, Kang Haihua

Foreign Economics & Management Vol. 39, Issue 06, pp. 98 - 113 (2017)  DOI:10.16538/j.cnki.fem.2017.06.008

Abstract

At present, current popular self-perception theory, cognitive dissonance theory, and " foot in the door effect” based on the motive for behavior consistency, and moral cleaning effect & moral disengagement theory which contravene the motive for behavior consistency cannot explain the contradictory phenomenon of " good previously leading into bad subsequently” which happens on the same employee in workplaces. Moral license theory which is derived from ethics argues that previous moral behavior is the incentive for its follow-up wrongdoing. Based on a literature review, this paper discusses firstly the connotation of moral license, then regards previous good behavior in workplaces and individual life fields like organizational citizenship behavior, organizational care and bravery as the antecedents of moral license, deduces four types of deviant behavior classified by moral boundaries and observability and possibly resulting from moral license, discusses the moderating role of personal value identity in this process, and constructs theoretical analytical framework of whole moral license occurrence process in workplaces. It provides totally new analytical idea for the explanation of the contradictory phenomenon of " good previously leading into bad subsequently” which happens on the same employee. This framework includes several concepts or variables of good and deviant behavior and offers convenience for follow-up empirical modeling.

Keywords

workplace; moral license; deviant behavior; identity orientation