Effects of Machiavellian ethical leadership and employee power distance on employee voice

Abstract

We investigated how employees respond to Machiavellian supervisors exerting ethical leadership. Participants were 252 matched supervisor–employee dyads, and we administered measures of supervisor ethical leadership, employee voice, employee power distance orientation, and supervisor Machiavellianism. Results revealed that Machiavellian supervisors' ethical leader behaviors were perceived to be genuine by subordinate employees, and that ethical leadership promoted supervisors' extrarole voice behaviors. Further, the effects of Machiavellian supervisors' ethical leader behaviors on employee voice were intensified in the particular organizational context of higher, versus lower, employee power distance orientation. Given the major finding that ethical leader behaviors demonstrated by Machiavellian supervisors were effective whether or not they were genuine, ethical leadership training and development are suggested to help promote desirable employee work behaviors, including voice.

Multi‐source research designs on ethical leadership: A literature review

“…In addition to the 37 publications mentioned above, two studies (Kalshoven et al, ; Kwak & Shim, ) used adaptations of Brown et al's () Ethical Leadership Scale (ELS): a 38‐item Ethical Leadership at Work questionnaire developed and validated in the Netherlands by Kalshoven et al () and a 10‐item scale developed by Den Hartog and Belschak ().…”

“…Seven studies examine the influence on the strength of the relationship between EL and OCBs of different moderation variables: Climate strength (Shin, ), Emphatic concern and Moral awareness (Kalshoven et al, ), Workplace friendships and Traditionality (Liu, Kwan, Fu, & Mao, ), Organizational change and involvement in change (Sharif & Scandura, ), Perceptions of politics and Gender (Kacmar et al, ), Personal control (Hassan, ), and Machiavellianism (Kwak & Shim, ), all influencing the effects of EL on OCBs.…”

Does Power Distance Necessarily Hinder Individual Innovation? A Moderated-Mediation Model

“…This opinion is being widely adopted. It has been shown that as an extra-role behavior, voice behavior is closely related to power distance [44,45]. Leaders with a high power distance orientation tend to maintain their authority in an autocratic way, rarely communicating with employees or accepting their suggestions [61].…”

“…As innovation behavior must effectively gather individual wisdom and integrate different perspectives, it requires individuals to voice [42]. As a kind of extra-role behavior, voice behavior refers to the constructive suggestions regarding organizational development based on individual observations and understanding about the organization [43], which is often affected by organizational power distance [44,45]. Therefore, power distance may influence individual innovation behavior based on the mediating effect of voice behavior.…”

The Relation between Machiavellianism, Organizational Commitment and Ethical Leadership: A Field Research on Academicians in Turkey

“…Within types of leadership, Machiavellianism is regarded as one of leadership styles that is not parallel with the ethics (Brown and Treviño, 2006, p.604). A manager, who is committing fraud and prioritizing its interests rather than the organization and subordinates by exhibiting the forms of Machiavellian behaviors, will not be effective when it has directed its subordinates at the point of ethical values and organizational goals (Kwak andShim, 2017, p.1489).…”