Authors
Jan Luca Pletzer, Sven Constantin Voelpel, Paul Van Lange
Publication date
2018/7/2
Journal
Academy of Management Proceedings
Volume
1
Pages
12354
Publisher
Academy of Management
Description
Personality has long been acknowledged as an important predictor of norm-violating deviant behavior. The present study tested the relation between such behaviors and a narrow personality facet called social value orientation. In short, social value orientation describes individual differences in social preferences, and we hypothesized that individuals with selfish (versus prosocial) orientations are more likely to violate norms and to act deviantly. Results of three studies (total N= 557) revealed that individuals who primarily focus on personal gains in an absolute or relative sense (ie, individualists and competitors) report higher levels of workplace deviance (Studies 1, 2, and 3) and also act more deviantly (Studies 2 and 3) than those who value equality and collective outcomes (ie, prosocials). A meta-analysis of the results across all three studies revealed a large difference in self-reported workplace deviance between prosocials and proselfs (d= 0.474). These results provide evidence for the utility of social value orientation in predicting and preventing deviant behavior. Organizations could therefore include a measure of these individual differences in their assessment procedure to screen applicants’ proneness to deviant behavior. Limitations and ideas for future research are discussed.
Total citations
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