Despotic Leadership and Front-Line Employee Deviant Work Behaviors in Service Organizations: The Roles of Moral Disengagement and Moral Identity

Akhtar, Muhammad Waheed, Garavan, Thomas N., Syed, Fauzia, Huo, Chunhui, Javed, Muzhar and O'Brien, Fergal (2023) Despotic Leadership and Front-Line Employee Deviant Work Behaviors in Service Organizations: The Roles of Moral Disengagement and Moral Identity. Journal of Service Research, 27 (4). pp. 600-616. ISSN 1094-6705

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Abstract

Research on despotic leadership and its impacts on the behavior of front-line employees (FLE) in service organizations is nascent. Drawing on the social cognitive theory of morality, we develop and test a model in two service settings investigating the direct and indirect effects of despotic leadership on three FLE deviant work behaviors. In Study 1, using a multi-wave, multi-data source research design with data derived from banks, telecommunications, and training/education service organizations in Pakistan, we demonstrate the ecological validity of our constructs. In Study 2, using a multi-wave, multi-source longitudinal research design, we investigated these relationships in hotels located in Pakistan and confirmed the results found in Study 1 and also investigated the sustainability of deviant work outcomes. Cumulatively, we found support for the direct effects of despotic leadership on FLE deviant work behaviors. Moral disengagement acted as a partial mediator of these relationships and moral identity moderated the mediated relationship between despotic leadership and FLE deviant work behaviors via moral disengagement. Our findings provide a nuanced understanding of despotic leadership and FLE deviant work behaviors in service settings. We contribute to the front-line services literature stream by focusing on the supervisor and FLE interaction and highlighting research and practice implications.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	despotic leadership; moral disengagement; moral identity; negative workplace gossip; retaliation; unethical work behavior
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Business Ethics H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Specific Industries > Hospitality Industry H Social Sciences > HM Sociology > Leadership H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management > Leadership H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Specific Industries > Service Industry
Divisions:	School of Business > Staff Research and Publications
Depositing User:	Tamara Malone
Date Deposited:	01 Sep 2025 13:01
Last Modified:	01 Sep 2025 13:01
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/8666

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