Unethical Leadership and Moral Psychology: Employee Responses to Ethical Breakdowns in Organizations (Routledge Studies in Leadership Research)

This book examines how employees respond to unethical leadership, exploring the psychological and behavioral dynamics of silence, resistance, loyalty, and whistleblowing.Grounded in original empirical research and moral cleansing theory, this book reveals how individuals protect their moral self-image and reclaim their ethical ground through purpose-driven actions.Drawing on a large-scale study in Pakistan’s service sector, it challenges traditional views of employees as passive recipients of leader behavior, offering a fresh perspective on moral agency and ethical resilience.Integrating moral cleansing theory with empirical insights, this monograph illustrates how unethical leadership impacts moral self-image, motivating reparative actions such as whistleblowing, organizational citizenship behavior, and withdrawal from counterproductive work behaviors.It is grounded in a three-wave, time-lagged study, applying advanced mediation-moderation analysis.Practical recommendations for leader