Incoherent Yet Still Moral? Followers’ Perceptions of Their Leaders’ Integrity

Mari Herttalampi; Noona Kiuru; Dirk van Dierendonck; Taru Feldt

doi:10.16993/sjwop.162

Incoherent Yet Still Moral? Followers’ Perceptions of Their Leaders’ Integrity

Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology

Volume 7 (2022): Issue 1

By: Mari Herttalampi , Noona Kiuru , Dirk van Dierendonck and Taru Feldt

Open Access

|Aug 2022

Abstract

The aim of this study was to broaden the current understanding of leader integrity by applying a social-cognitive process model to leaders’ moral decision-making. Leaders (n = 223) were classified into different integrity styles (informational, normative, or diffuse-avoidant) based on their personal descriptions of how they approach moral questions and make moral decisions at work. We then investigated how followers (n = 963) perceived these leaders’ integrity (moral behavior, behavioral integrity, and consistency) and their leader-member exchange (LMX) quality by using a hierarchical leader-follower sample. Followers evaluated normative leaders to show the highest amount of consistency compared to the other integrity styles, although perceptions of leader consistency did not associate with LMX quality. Instead, follower-rated leader moral behavior had the strongest relationship with LMX quality both within and between leader-follower groups. Based on our results, morality is a more important integrity component to follower relationships than consistency. However, the leader’s moral motives behind their decisions might not translate directly and similarly to his or her followers. This means that leaders should pay attention to how transparent, fair, and equal their decisions and justifications behind them appear to others. We also provide a qualitative rating scheme for recognizing differences in personal integrity styles.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/sjwop.162 | Journal eISSN: 2002-2867

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Language: English

Page range: 11 - 11

Submitted on: Jun 23, 2021

Accepted on: Jun 15, 2022

Published on: Aug 16, 2022

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

leader integrity,

moral decision-making,

leader-member exchange,

multilevel

© 2022 Mari Herttalampi, Noona Kiuru, Dirk van Dierendonck, Taru Feldt, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 7 (2022): Issue 1