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From Machiavellianism to Unethical Behavior: A Cross-Level Examination of Cultural Factors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2021

Ghulam Hussain Open the ORCID record for Ghulam Hussain [Opens in a new window] ,
Farah Samreen ,
Wan Khairuzzaman Wan Ismail ,
Amir Riaz  and
Johaver Azhar Open the ORCID record for Johaver Azhar [Opens in a new window]
Ghulam Hussain
Affiliation:
COMSATS University Islamabad Lahore Campus (Pakistan)
Farah Samreen*
Affiliation:
University of Engineering & Technology (Pakistan)
Wan Khairuzzaman Wan Ismail
Affiliation:
Sulaiman AlRajhi University (Saudi Arabia)
Amir Riaz
Affiliation:
COMSATS University Islamabad Lahore Campus (Pakistan)
Johaver Azhar
Affiliation:
COMSATS University Islamabad Lahore Campus (Pakistan)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Farah Samreen. University of Engineering &Technology. Institute of Business & Management IBM. 54890 Lahore, Punjab (Pakistan). Phone: +92–3329919928. E-mail: farahsamreen11@gmail.com
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Abstract

This study establishes the relationship between a manager’s Machiavellian personality and unethical behavior. It also tests the cross-level interaction effects of collectivism and power distance on the relationship between a Machiavellian personality and unethical behavior. The multi-level and multi-source data are collected from 22 public sector organizations from which 202 responses from managers about their personalities, power distance, and collectivism, and 626 subordinates’ ratings of the managers’ unethical behavior were received and used. The results show that Machiavellian personality has a positive relationship with unethical behavior. The cross-level interaction effects also show that cultural dimensions such as power distance, and collectivism—significantly and positively moderate the relationship between Machiavellian personality and unethical behavior. Based on the study’s findings, implications for theory and practice are offered.

Keywords

cultural factorsleadershipMachiavellianismunethical behaviors
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 24 , 2021 , e46
Copyright
© Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2021

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Footnotes

Conflicts of Interest: None.

Funding Statement: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

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