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IntroductionMoral disengagement is an essential concept in organizational behavioral ethics, as it is strongly related to employee behaviors and attitudes. What is not clear, however, is which leader traits are directly associated with employees’ moral disengagement and which are indirectly associated with unethical behavior. This study draws on a social cognitive perspective that links leaders’ other-oriented perfectionism (LOOP) with unethical employee behavior. Specifically, we propose that LOOP provides employees with excuses and encouragement to engage in unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB).MethodsWe analyzed data collected from 266 full-time employees at two-time points, and used mediated and moderated structural equation models to test the hypotheses, and the findings largely support our claims.ResultsThe results suggest that LOOP effectively promotes employees’ involvement in UPB. Moderated mediation tests suggest that the positive indirect impact of LOOP on employees’ unethical behavior via moral disengagement was attenuated by higher employees’ moral identity.DiscussionIn summary, the results indicate that when leaders emphasize only perfection and make unrealistic demands on their employees, the latter perceive that engaging in unethical behavior is demanded by the leader, that the responsibility is not theirs, and thus they are more willing to engage in unethical behavior. This study discusses the implications of these findings from both practical and theoretical perspectives.

Drawing on ego depletion theory and trait activation theory, this study examines why and when employee perfectionism personality is linked with incivility toward coworkers. The study indulges ego depletion as a mediator between perfectionism personality and incivility toward coworkers, with coworker empathic concern moderating the relationship between perfectionism personality and ego depletion. A three-waved questionnaire was incorporated with sample of 253 employee-coworker dyads. Our findings demonstrate that dimensions of perfectionism personality are positively associated with incivility toward coworkers. In addition, our study confirms that ego depletion mediates the relationship between self-oriented perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, and incivility toward coworkers. Furthermore, our study shows that high levels of coworker empathic concern weakens the direct effect of self-oriented perfectionism on ego depletion along with the indirect effect of self-oriented perfectionism on incivility toward coworkers. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed in the organizational context.

The multiple nature of perfectionism including intrapersonal, interpersonal, and social aspects requires one's high expectations of him or herself and others as well as others high expectations of oneself. In addition to psychological pathologies, interpersonal problems might be explained by these expectations. The relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and interpersonal problems was investigated in this research. Fifty students (36 girls, 14 boys) were participated in this study from Tehran University. They were asked to fill out the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP). The results showed that dimensions of perfectionism significantly related to interpersonal problems: other-oriented perfectionism was associated with interpersonal problems of submissiveness, intimacy, and controlling socially prescribed perfectionism was associated with interpersonal problems of sociability and responsibility and self-oriented perfectionism was associated with interpersonal problems of responsibility. No significant difference was found between boys and girls in terms of perfectionism and interpersonal problems.