Paternalistic leadership and pro-social rule breaking: The moderating roles of psychological empowerment and leader-member exchange

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pro-social rule breaking (PSRB) is considered a positive deviant workplace behavior. In the Chinese context, paternalistic leadership (PL), combined with benevolent, moral, and authoritarian behaviors, appears to affect subordinates' internal psychology and external behaviors (e.g., PSRB). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between PL and PSRB in the Chinese context. It was also hypothesized that psychological empowerment (PE) and leader-member exchange (LMX) moderates the relationship between PL and PSRB, respectively. METHODS: Data were collected from 366 working adults in China. The participants provided their experience and perception in the workplace for the proposed research model. The reliability and validity of measurement scales were demonstrated. RESULTS:The results showed that the moral leadership dimension of PL negatively impacted PSRB, and the authoritarian leadership dimension of PL positively impacted PSRB. PE negatively moderated the relationship between moral leadership and PSRB and positively moderated the relationship between authoritarian leadership and PSRB. LMX positively moderated the relationship between authoritarian leadership and PSRB. CONCLUSIONS: The findings contribute to developing the theory of leadership style affecting PSRB. The implications for practice and future research directions were discussed.

Prosocial rule-breaking: a systematic literature review

“…For example, Zhang et al (2021) found that temporal leadership, i.e., specific time management practice of employees' time usage during work, positively relates to PSRB which results in innovative job performance. Tu and Luo (2020) found that authoritarian leadership encourages PSRB and moral leadership discourages PSRB. Moreover, Zhu et al (2018) examined that when ethical leaders find employees engaging in deviant behaviors, they consider the motivation behind the action.…”

“…Several studies have examined the role of individual factors as moderators. For instance, a survey conducted in China found that psychological empowerment attenuated the association between moral leadership and PSRB (Tu and Luo, 2020). In the same study, psychological empowerment and LMX accentuated the association between authoritarian leadership and PSRB (Tu and Luo, 2020).…”

Inclusive Leadership and Subordinates’ Pro-Social Rule Breaking in the Workplace: Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Moderating Role of Employee Relations Climate

“…It appears to influence subordinates' internal psychology and external behaviors, such as PSRB. 26 Pro-social behavior encourages employees to violate the organization's policies to achieve organizational efficiency. To illustrate this perspective, one study explains that inclusive leadership magnifies the effectiveness of employees' behavior, thereby encouraging PSRB practices.…”

When breaking the rule becomes necessary: The impact of leader–member exchange quality on nurses pro‐social rule‐breaking

“…This support allows them to break the rules for the organization's betterment as they know that their leader will understand and appreciate their true intentions. The existing studies have also shown that positive leadership behaviour gives employees the courage to engage in constructive deviance (Tu & Luo, 2020 ). For instance, one study showed that inclusive leadership promotes pro‐social rule‐breaking among employees (Wang & Shi, 2020 ).…”