Exploring Mianzi consciousness congruence and its impact on unethical pro-organizational behavior.

External work locus of control Mianzi management strategy Response surface analysis Unethical pro-organizational behavior

Journal

BMC psychology
ISSN: 2050-7283
Titre abrégé: BMC Psychol
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101627676

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
12 Aug 2024
Historique:
received: 18 04 2024
accepted: 31 07 2024
medline: 13 8 2024
pubmed: 13 8 2024
entrez: 12 8 2024
Statut: epublish

Résumé

In Chinese culture, the concept of Mianzi holds significant importance in interpersonal interactions. Mianzi represents one's social standing, dignity, and reputation, influencing behaviors and decisions within various contexts. Mianzi consciousness manifests in two primary forms: proactive and defensive. Proactive Mianzi consciousness involves efforts to enhance one's social image, while defensive Mianzi consciousness focuses on protecting one's existing reputation. Analyzing the impact of the two Mianzi consciousness dimensions on individuals' attitudes and behaviors is effective for understanding interpersonal dynamics in China. This study specifically examined the relationship between high Mianzi consciousness congruence and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). UPB refers to actions taken by employees that are intended to benefit their organization but are unethical or morally questionable. By investigating how congruence in proactive and defensive Mianzi consciousness influences the likelihood of engaging in UPB, this research aimed to uncover the underlying social and psychological mechanisms driving such behavior. Employing polynomial regression and response surface analysis method, this study developed a model that combines the proactive Mianzi consciousness and the defensive Mianzi consciousness into different Mianzi management strategies and tested the relationship between high Mianzi consciousness congruence and UPB. Sample data collected at two time points one month apart supported all hypotheses. Specifically, the findings revealed that high levels of Mianzi consciousness congruence (i.e., all-around type in Mianzi management strategies) positively relate to UPB, and verified the mediation effect of external work locus of control and the moderation effect of relational psychological contract. This research advanced a novel, synergistic perspective on the role of social Mianzi and contributed to the localized UPB research, thus helping to find a path to prevent UPB from occurring in the Chinese sociocultural context.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
In Chinese culture, the concept of Mianzi holds significant importance in interpersonal interactions. Mianzi represents one's social standing, dignity, and reputation, influencing behaviors and decisions within various contexts. Mianzi consciousness manifests in two primary forms: proactive and defensive. Proactive Mianzi consciousness involves efforts to enhance one's social image, while defensive Mianzi consciousness focuses on protecting one's existing reputation. Analyzing the impact of the two Mianzi consciousness dimensions on individuals' attitudes and behaviors is effective for understanding interpersonal dynamics in China. This study specifically examined the relationship between high Mianzi consciousness congruence and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). UPB refers to actions taken by employees that are intended to benefit their organization but are unethical or morally questionable. By investigating how congruence in proactive and defensive Mianzi consciousness influences the likelihood of engaging in UPB, this research aimed to uncover the underlying social and psychological mechanisms driving such behavior.
METHODS METHODS
Employing polynomial regression and response surface analysis method, this study developed a model that combines the proactive Mianzi consciousness and the defensive Mianzi consciousness into different Mianzi management strategies and tested the relationship between high Mianzi consciousness congruence and UPB.
RESULTS RESULTS
Sample data collected at two time points one month apart supported all hypotheses. Specifically, the findings revealed that high levels of Mianzi consciousness congruence (i.e., all-around type in Mianzi management strategies) positively relate to UPB, and verified the mediation effect of external work locus of control and the moderation effect of relational psychological contract.
CONCLUSION CONCLUSIONS
This research advanced a novel, synergistic perspective on the role of social Mianzi and contributed to the localized UPB research, thus helping to find a path to prevent UPB from occurring in the Chinese sociocultural context.

Identifiants

pubmed: 39135140
doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01934-z
pii: 10.1186/s40359-024-01934-z
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

436

Subventions

Organisme : the National Natural Science Foundation of China
ID : 72071124
Organisme : the National Natural Science Foundation of China
ID : 72071124

Informations de copyright

© 2024. The Author(s).

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Auteurs

Bing Zhou (B)

Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.

Suchuan Zhang (S)

Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China. zhangsuchuan@126.com.

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