상대주의가 조직시민행동 및 일탈행동에 미치는 영향: 조직의 수단적 분위기의 조절효과

In contemporary business environments, social demands for corporate compliance with social norms and ethical standards have continued to intensify. Nevertheless, the persistent occurrence of unethical behavior within organizations suggests that some employees may make judgments and decisions not based on universal moral principles but rather on organizational contexts and situational cues. Relativism, one of the core dimensions of Ethics Position Theory, a prominent framework for explaining individual differences in ethical judgment, refers to the extent to which individuals reject universal moral principles. Although prior research has suggested that relativism may be associated with unethical behavior, empirical findings across studies have been reported inconsistently. In light of this issue, the present study draws on Trait Activation Theory to examine whether the effects of relativism on normative behavior are contingent on organizational context. Specifically, the study identifies instrumental climate as a contextual factor that activates relativistic tendencies and focuses on its moderating role in the relationships between relativism and two representative forms of normative behavior: organizational citizenship behavior and organizational deviance. It is proposed that in an instrumental climate—where organizational and personal interests are prioritized over ethical principles—employees high in relativism are likely to engage both in organizational citizenship behavior that contributes to organizational interests and in organizational deviance that advances personal interests. Using two-wave survey data collected from employees working in Korean organizations, the results indicate that when instrumental climate is high rather than low, the effects of relativism on both organizational citizenship behavior and organizational deviance are significantly strengthened. By empirically demonstrating the context-dependent nature of relativism, this study helps to explain the inconsistencies reported in prior research. Furthermore, by identifying instrumental climate as an organizational context that activates the behavioral consequences of relativism, the study contributes to extending theory in this domain. Based on these findings, theoretical and practical implications, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.