Rochester Institute of Technology
RIT Scholar Works
Articles
2010
When Leadership Goes Unnoticed: The
Moderating Role of Follower Self-Esteem on the
Relationship Between Ethical Leadership and
Follower Behavior
James B. Avey
Michael E. Palanski
Fred O. Walumbwa
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Avey, James B.; Palanski, Michael E.; and Walumbwa, Fred O., "When Leadership Goes Unnoticed: The Moderating Role of Follower
Self-Esteem on the Relationship Between Ethical Leadership and Follower Behavior" (2010). Accessed from
http://scholarworks.rit.edu/article/1631
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Journal of Business Ethics
DQI 1O.1007/s10551-01O-0610-2
© Springer 2010
When Leadership Goes Unnoticed:
The Moderating Role of Follower
Self-Esteem on the Relationship Between
Ethical Leadership and Follower Behavior
ABSTRACT. The authors examined the effects of ethical leadership on follower organizational citizenship
behavior (OCB) and deviant behavior. Drawing upon
research related to the behavioral plasticity hypothesis, the
aurhors examined a moderating role of follower selfesteem in these relationships. Results from a field study
revealed that ethical leadership is positively related to
follower OCB and negatively related to deviance. We
found that these relationships are moderated by followers'
self-esteem, such that the relationships between ethical
leadership and OCB as well as between ethical leadership
and deviant behavior are weaker when followers' selfesteem is high than low. Implications of these findings tor
research and practice are discussed.
KEY WORDS: behavioral plasticity, ethical leadership,
organizational citizenship behavior, self-esteem, workplace
deviance
One of the primary questions arISing from the
seemingly endless parade of ethical lapses is: where
have all of the leaders gone? Within organizations,
leaders at multiple levels play an important role in
developing and sustaining ethical cultures and ethical
conduct (Grojean et aI., 2004). Thus, it is no surprise
that scholarly research concerning ethical leadership
is on the rise. Indeed, a great deal has been written
about ethical leadership from a prescriptive point of
view,· often in the form of a philosophical discussion
about what leaders ought to do. In addition, virtually
all of the so-called "new wave" leadership theories
discuss the ethical implications of leader behaviors,
often at length. Specifically, transformational leadership (Bass, 1985), charismatic leadership (Conger
Published online: 20 August 2010
James B. Avey
Michael E. Palanski
Fred O. Walumbwa
and Kanungo, 1998), authentic leadership (Avolio
and Gardner, 2005), and spiritual leadership (FlY,
2003) all include aspects of the importance of ethical
behavior.
Despite the inclusion of ethical aspects in these and
other approaches, the scholarly work about ethical
leadership remains largely fi:agmented and often
confusing. For example, Palanski and Ya111111.arino
(2007) describe the confusion in meaning about one of
the most popular aspects of ethical leadership, integrity. They note that this single concept is used in a
variety of ways to mean a variety of things, including
consistency, wholeness, courage in adversity, and
general moral behavior. In response to this fi:agmentation and confusion, Brown et a1. (2005) developed a
nonnative, social scientific approach construct of
ethical leadership, defined as "the demonstration of
normatively appropriate conduct through personal
actions and interpersonal relationships, and the
promotion of such conduct to followers through
two-way communication, reinforcement, and decision-making" (Brown et aI., 2005, p. 120). This
definition includes both traits and behaviors of the
leader, dubbed the moral person aspect, and proactive
behaviors that encourage follower ethical behavior,
dubbed the moral manager aspect by Brown and
Trevino (2006), and is a more holistic, descriptive
approach to studying ethical leadership.
Although the construct and its accon"lpanying scale
(Brown et aI., 20(5) are relatively new, emerging
research (e.g., De Hoogh and Den Hartog, 2008;
Detert et aI., 2007; Mayer et aI., 2009; Neubert et aI.,
2009; Walumbwa and Schaubroeck, 2(09) is beginning to demonstrate the usefulness of the ethical
leadership construct for research and application.
Session Details - Monday, 10:00 AM -12:00 PM
New Institutional Theory and Formal Voluntary Environmental
Standardization' Shady Kan'l, McGill U.
,,+ ...I:#.Does certification really matter? Stakeholder
influences and the moderation of business perfomance I
Vera Ferron-Vilchez, U. de Granada; Nicole Darnall, George
Mason U.; J. Alberto Aragon-Correa, U. of Granada (Spain)
.l:#.Coming Clean: The Role of Visibility in Voluntary
Environmental Disclosure Strategies' Cedric Dawkins,
California State Polytechnic U. - Pomona; John Fraas, Ashland
U.
+.I:#.Environmental Reporting and Media Coverage of
Environmental Issues: An Agenda Setting Perspective'
Irene Pollach, Aarhus U.
789 Q: (Paper Session) - (RM) Assessing agreement and
equivalence
+.I:#.SHCS: (ONE, SIM, CMS) Cultivating Exclusion:
Complexities of Sustainability Certification in the Food
Sector
786
9:45am -11:15am The Queen Elizabeth: Matapedia
Organizers: Maarten van der Kamp, Lancaster U.; Stephanie
Welcomer, U. of Maine
Identity Construction, Political Activity and Market Structure:
The Case of Organic Farming I Kate Sikavica, U. of Munich
Reproducing standards in organic agriculture: An exploration
of how standards come alive' Maarten van der Kamp,
Lancaster U.
Fair Trade: Does it Live Up to Its Promise? A Case Study of
Coffee Producers in Chiapas Mexico' Sarah A. Bigney,
Independent; Mark Haggerty, U. of Maine at Orono; Stephanie
Welcomer, U. of Maine
Certification of Sustainabilily Criteria in Food Production:
Implications for the Developing World' Linda MSarna, SI.
John's U.
7l!7 ~+..Q: (DRP Session) - (PNP) COllaboration and
Partnerships
9:45am - 11: 15am The Queen Elizabeth: Chaudlere
Facilitator: Deneen M. Hatmaker, U. of Connecticut
QStakeholder Influence Strategies: Mobilizing for
Collaboration I David Graham Hyatt, Case Western Reserve
U.; Jonathan H. Coleman, Case Western Reserve U.; Jeffrey
Longhofer, Rutgers U.
~+ Q,Contracl Choice and Prices of Water Distribution in
Spain I Hugo Zarco Jasso, U. of Navarra
iO>+"QGoverning Development: Partnership-Level
Characteristics and the Adoption of Governance Form I
Annekathrin Ellersiek, Tilburg U.; Patrick Kenis, Tilburg U.
Collaborative Preference: The Role of Homophily, Multiplexity
and Advantageous Network Position I Troy A. Voelker, U. of
Houston, Clear Lake; William Cordell McDowell, East Carolina
U.
+Qlmplementing National Policy at the Local Level:
Assessing the Effectiveness of Local Networks' Esther
KJaster, U. of Twente; Dennis Muntslag, U. ofTwente; Michel
Ehrenhard, U. of Twente; Jeffrey N. Hicks, U. of Twente
788 . ..I:#.:
(Paper Session) - (PNP) The Multiple Layers of
Identity
9:45am - 11:15801 The Queen E1izabelh: Peribonea
Facilitator: Leisha DeHart-Davis, U. of Kansas
fJ) Teaching-oriented I iO>Prdcticc·oriented
QNonprofit Organizational and Work Unit Identification and
the Occupational Stress Process I Cameron John Newton,
Queensland U. of Technology; Stephen T.T. Teo, Curtin U. of
Technology
RJ..QPublic Service Motivation and Job Satisfaction: The
Role of Fit and Mission Valence' Edmund C. Stazyk,
American U.
QNegotialing Organizational Identity: A Case Study on How
a University Responds to Identity Threats I Bing Ran,
Pennsylvania State U., Harrisburg; Timothy John Golden,
Pennsylvania State U_, Harrisburg
9:45am - 11:15am Della Centre-Ville: St-Laurenl
Chair: Jodi S. Goodman, U. of Connecticut
QAscertaining observed and unobserved measurement
equivalence with MM-IRT-C 'louis Tay, U. of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign; Daniel A. Newman, U. of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign; Jeroen KVermunt, Tilburg U.
RJ.I:#.rWG is not enough: Detecting subgroup disagreement,
Noah Eisenkraft, U. of Pennsylvania
Q The Practical Consequences of Null Distribution Choice on
rwg I Rustin D. Meyer. Georgia Institute ofTechnology; Troy
Victor Mumford, Colorado State U.; Michael A. Campion,
Purdue U.
790 Q.:
(Paper Session) • (SIM) Philosophical Ethics and
Organizations
9:45am -11:'15am TheOJJeen Elizabeth: Hocnelaga 5
Chair: Patricia Werhane, DePaul U.
Discussant: Elizabeth D. Scott, Eastern Connecticut State U.
..QRethinking Organizational Conslructs Of Friendship in
the Workplace I Ryan L Raffaelli, Boston College
QCalculation and compassion: economics and the problem
of transplant organs I Philip Roscoe, U. of St Andrews
RJQBusiness, Ethics, and Psychological Realism I Miguel
Angel Alzola, Fordham U.
.l:#.Corporations as Political Actors: A Liberal Response to a
Republican Point of View I Glen Whelan, Notlingham U.
791 . . Q: (ORP Session) - (SIM) The Role of Ethical
Leadership in Creating Caring Organizations Roundtable
9:45am- 11:15am The Queen Elizabeth: St-Laurenl
Chair: Scott J. Reynolds, U. of Washington
QEthical Leadership and Followers' Citizenship Behavior:
The Role of Responsibility and Autonomy' Karianne
Kalshoven, U. van Amsterdam; Annebel H.B. De Hoogh, U. of
Amsterdam
Q~ts;of·ethicalleadershipandself'e'steemon follower'
qiUzenshipbehaviors and-deviance' James B. Avey, Central
Washington U.; Michael Palanski, Rochester Institute of
Technology; Fred O. Walumbwa, Arizona Stale U.
Opening the Black Box: Linking Ethical Leadership to
Employee Performance I Fred O. Walumbwa, Arizona State
U.; David Mayer, U, of Michigan; Peng Wang, Miami U. Ohio;
Hui Wang, Peking U,; Kristina Marie Workman, U. of Michigan
.l:#.Good Citizenship and Ethical Leadership: Interactive
Effects of Gender and Organizational Politics' KMichele
I + InternatiOf1a~-orientedI4ltTheme-()(lented I·QResearch-()riented I fbBest Paper Proceedings
241
Sect.lon 0
Participant Index:
Olner, S~rah lit. G. (tondoo School of Economics) 44·
(0)789·470·10·10 [email protected]/ardedu
1035
Ou, Arrrj Y. (Arizona StateU.) (480) 966-7411
[email protected] 1471, 1643
Ou, Han (U. of Massachusetts. Amhelst) (917) 6503697 [email protected] 1420
Ouellette, Claire (Visaclion) 514_874.5:255
andree@visactio~ca
272
Ouimet, J.·Robert (Ouimet-Cordon Bleu. Inc.) 615-8493COO jlooimet-<[email protected] 36
Overbeck, Jennifer R. (U. of Southern California) (213)
821·5700 [email protected] 763
Overbeke, K~thy Kessler (Case Western Reserve U.)
216-292-3939 [email protected] 1733
Ovsrboom, Mark A. (Tiburg U.) 06-10260039
MA.Overbo~m@UI~.nl
1045
Overby, Eric: (Georgia Inslitute of Technology) 404·
385-7234 [email protected] 663
Owens, Bradley Paul (U. of Michigan) 734-761-4870
[email protected] 873, 1187
Owens, Undsay (Stanfold U.) [email protected]
727
Oxelhclm, Lars (Lund U.j [email protected]
954, 1430
Oxley, Joanne (U. ofToronto) (416) 978-0305
[email protected] 301, 379, 940,
1505
Oyler, Jennifer (Texas A&M U.l 5408186829
[email protected]
1547
Ozbllgin, Muslafa F(U. of East Anglia)
+447967105959 [email protected] 63, 112,
218, 847, 1174
Ozcan, Serden (Copenhagen Business SchooQ 0045
38152877 [email protected] 1572
Ozdemlr, Mahmul N. (Rollerdam School of
Management. Erasmus U.. j +31104081910
[email protected] 1269
Om, Mine (Slate U. of New Ycd<, Oneonta) 607·[email protected] 1214
p
Paarlberg, Laurie E. (U. of North Calolina, Wilmington)
910·962-2291 paatiJergl@un<:W.edu 1786
Paauwe, J~~p (Tilburg U.) .31134662851
[email protected] 32, 141, 1638
Pache, Anne.Clalre (ESSEC Business School)
.33676831262 [email protected] 890
Pacheco, Desiree F. (portland State U.) (303) 7759974 [email protected] 1146
Packalen, Kelley (Queen's U.) (613) 533-3243
[email protected] 887
Paddock, E. Layne (Singapore Managemenl U.) .65
[email protected] 1767
Padetford, Wallon (Union U_) 731·668-1818
[email protected] 1633
Podula, Glovanna (Bocooni U.) 0258366823
g·io'lanroa.padula@unibooconLit 1221
Paeleman,lne (Ghent U.) 0032 9 264 3507
[email protected] 952
Paetzold, Ramona L{Texas A&M UJ (409) 845-5429
[email protected] 1635
Page, Albert(U. of Illinois, Chicago) 312·996-6233
al>[email protected] 931
Page, Kevin {National Australia Gro'4')
[email protected] 774
Section E
Page, linda J (Adler-OISE U. of Toronlo) 416400 5871
[email protected] 750
PageU, Mark (YOlk U.) 416-7'35·2100 >:77939
[email protected] 775
Palk. Yongsun (toyola Marymount U.) (310) 338·7402
[email protected] 100, 1540
Palnter.Morland, Mollie (De Paul U.) (773)325-4927
[email protected] 1719
e.PAlimlldlMlqM..1(Rochesler Instilute of Tethnology)
607-206-2990 mpalanski@gmaiLcom 363, 791
Pal~zzo. Guido (U.. 01 Lausanne) 0041 (21) 682 3373
[email protected] 1366
Paletz, Susannah (U. of Piftsburgh) 412-624-2679
[email protected] 1044
PaUotli, Francesca (U. of LugarlO) 0041586664787
[email protected] 782
Palma, Patricia Jordlm Da (ISPA) 00351218811700
[email protected] 860
Palmer, David It (U. of Nebraska at Kearney) (308)
866-8574palmerd@unkedu 616, 1705
Palmer, Donald A (U. of eafrfolOia. Davis) 530 752
8566 [email protected] 38
Palmer, Ian (RMIT U.) 61-3-9925 5560
[email protected] 71, 1182
Palmer, Noel F. {U. of Neblaska) 402-472-2089
[email protected] 1509, 1690
Palmleri, Patrick Albort (U. San tgnacio de Loyola)
806-441-7781 [email protected] 627,
1636
Palrecha, Rita {Slale U. of New YOlk, Binghamton) 732
979 7400 [email protected] 6S0
Pan, Su·Ylng {National Taiwan U. of Science and
TechnolOllYl [email protected] 759
Pan, Wei (Massachusells Institute of TechnolOllY)
6173243842 [email protected]<iu 1048
Panaccla, Alexandra (U. of Illinois, Chicago) 1-514288-9938 [email protected] 1335
Pandey, Nld (Purdue U.) (217) 766-8788
[email protected] 854
Pandey, SanJay K. (Rutgers U.) 973-353-3678
sl;>[email protected] 895
Pandey, Sheola (Rutge/s U., Newark) 732 372 7473
spandeywrk@gmalcom 1596
Pandza, Krslo (Leeds U. Business School) 00>14131
343 4509 [email protected] 1587
Pan.. H~den, Stephanie (Texas A&M U.) (903)4072047 stephanie.,[email protected] 644
Pangarkar, Nltln (National U. of Sin(lapore) 65 6616
[email protected]_sg 834, 1535
Panlna, Darla (Texas A&.M U.) (979) 845·4848
[email protected] 926
Panoho, Joy (Massey U.) 6463533514
[email protected] 1717
Pap~dakIs, Vanills (Athens U. of Economics and
Business) 00.102108203471 [email protected] 1298
Papadopoulos, Andrew (HEe Montreal) (514) 3406674 [email protected] 820
Papalexandris,Alexandros (Athens U. of Economics
and Business)"30 210 8203862 [email protected]
1090
Paquette, Marie-Andree (U. of Montreal) marie··
[email protected] 1042
Paquin, Anthony R. (Western Kentucky U.l 270-7454423 tony.paquin@W':u.edu 937
Paquin, Raymond L. {Concordia U.) 514.848.2424
x.2911 [email protected] 94. 441,
1472
454
Parada, Pedro (ESAOE) 34932806162
[email protected] 1018
Parameshwar, Sangeela (V. of Illinois, Springfield)
{217) 206-7926 [email protected]
284, 1297
Paramesw~ranUnnilhan, Vljayakumar {Tata
Instilute
of Social Sciences) 91-22-25525831
[email protected] 1461
ParanJape, Ruta (State U. of New Yorl<, Binghamton)
607-624-5649 [email protected] 1727
Parayilam, Satyanarayana (McNeesa Stale U.) (405)
744-7156 [email protected] 650
Parboteeah, It Pravoon {U. ofWisconsin, Whitewater)
{252) 472-3971 [email protected] 1413,
1730
Par., Sylvie (ESG-UQAM) pare.syf'lie@uqam_ca
272
Pareek, A.hlsh (OMS, MOS U.) e4142-79066
[email protected]')m 637
Parente, Diane H. (Pennsy~",nia Slate U., Erie) (814)
898-6436 [email protected] 330
Parente, Ronalda C. (Rutgers U.) (410) 4307962
/[email protected] 1525
Park. Daewoo (Xavief U.) {513) 7>\5-2028
[email protected] 1103
Park, Eunkyung (Seoul National U.) july@snu_ac.kr
874
Park, Guihyun [Michigan Slate U.} (517) 355-2171
[email protected] 1534, 1761
Park, H. Dennis CU. ofl'Vashinglon) (200) 616-8372
[email protected] 951. 1062. 1171
Park, Heet.. (Seoul National U.) 010·5075-8247
[email protected] 874, 978
Park, Hun..Joon (Yonsei U..) 822-2123-2521
hjJar1<@yonsei.ac.kl 975. 1187
Park, Hyeon Jeong (Georgia State U.) (404) 661·2006
[email protected] 100
Park, Hyun Hoe (U. alAbany. SUfl/Y) (518) 256-6120
[email protected] 894, 1004
Park, Jacob (Green Mounlain College) (802) 287-8330
[email protected] 209, 346. 715
Park, Jason Wh~n (U. of Piftsburgh) (412) 648-1670
[email protected] 695
Park, Jln Kyu (Kyungpook National U.) 82-10-50210951 [email protected] 1136
Park, Joan Hyung {U. of Houston) (832) 405-8553
[email protected] 1553
Park, Kathleen Marshall (Massachusells Institule of
TechnoloJY) (617) 834-5697 [email protected]
1277, 1433
Parll. Kyung Min (l'anse; U.) 82-2-2123-5488
[email protected] 1700
Park, Namgyoo Kenny {Seoul National U.) 82-2-880·
[email protected] 1492, 1777
Park, Sang Cheol (Sagarlg U.) 82·2-705-4718
[email protected]_kr 9S6
Park, SangGhan (National U. of Singapore) +65·6516·
[email protected] 930, 1052
Park, Seong Hoon (l'anse; U.) 82 2 2123 2521
[email protected] 975. 1187
Palk, Soung Ho "Sam" (SKOlKOVO Institute for
Emerging Market Sludies) 86-10·6498-1634, ex1.oo1
[email protected] 551
Park, Sun Hyun (V. of Michigan) (734) 709-1.842
[email protected] 778
Park, Tae-Youn (U. of Minnesota) 612-625-3451
[email protected] 630. 1279, 1655