Stretch goals and unethical behavior: role of ambivalent identification and competitive psychological climate
ISSN: 0025-1747
Article publication date: 19 January 2021
Issue publication date: 23 August 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of stretch goals on unethical behavior and explore the mediating role of ambivalent identification and moderating role of competitive psychological climate.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 350 MBA students from Northwestern China completed the two-phase survey. The bootstrapping analysis outlined by Hayes was used to assess a moderated mediation model.
Findings
This study found that stretch goals could trigger employees' unethical behavior via ambivalent identification. Competitive psychological climate intensified the relationship between stretch goals and ambivalent identification. Moreover, such a climate aggravated the indirect effect of stretch goals on unethical behavior via ambivalent identification.
Practical implications
Organizations and managers should use stretch goals prudently and implement measures to reduce the ethical cost.
Originality/value
This study provides unique contributions by identifying ambivalent identification as an important mediator and competitive psychological climate as a boundary condition of stretch goals' disruptive effect on unethical behavior.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This study was funded by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71672139 and No. 71932007).Conflict of interest: Author Chang Chen declares that she has no conflict of interest. Author Zhe Zhang declares that she has no conflict of interest. Author Ming Jia declares that he has no conflict of interest.
Citation
Chen, C., Zhang, Z. and Jia, M. (2021), "Stretch goals and unethical behavior: role of ambivalent identification and competitive psychological climate", Management Decision, Vol. 59 No. 8, pp. 2005-2023. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-04-2019-0433
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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