The Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Follower Pro-Group Unethical Behavior

Recent years have seen increased interest in the features and causes of unethical behavior in businesses. While there has been greater academic interest in these topics, scarce research has been done on the relationship between transformational leadership and subordinate unethical behavior. This study investigates the effect of transformational leadership on unethical behavior intended to benefit the group. The link between transformational leadership, need for affiliation, affective commitment, and pro-group unethical behavior is also being examined in research. This study focuses on investigating whether the need for affiliation links the effect of transformational leadership on pro-group unethical behavior, and whether affective commitment plays a moderating role in this relationship. The analysis of the sample data from 218 employees working for various organizations in China suggest that transformational leadership positively related on followers’ willingness to engage in pro-group unethical behavior. The results also provided empirical evidence for the mediating role of need for affiliation. The study results suggest that organization need to put more effort on into developing leader-ethical training programs, which focus on building a healthy team culture.