How Good Citizens Can Inspire Bad Leaders

January 27, 2021 | Anthony C. Klotz, Mark C. Bolino, and Ghufran Ahmad | Leadership

Research shows that people engage in vicarious moral licensing at work, granting themselves leeway to do bad things in light of good deeds performed by close colleagues. Leaders are no exception. Even when leaders inspire good citizenship in their teams, two factors can make them susceptible to unethical behavior: narcissism and close identification with team members.

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How Good Citizens Can Inspire Bad Leaders

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