Friendship leading the darkness? The impact of workplace friendship on the unethical pro-organizational behavior of new generation employees.

This study examines why employees in positive informal relationships may engage in unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). Drawing on social exchange theory and social cognitive theory, we examined the potential relational mechanisms of workplace friendships on UPB with a sample of 431 new-generation employees from different Chinese companies. The results of the empirical study indicated that workplace friendship and affective commitment were significantly positively related to UPB, as was the indirect effect of workplace friendship on UPB through affective commitment, and that a caring ethical climate (CEC) strengthened the positive relationships between workplace friendship and affective commitment and between affective commitment and UPB. Furthermore, male, married, and basic supervisor/ middle management employees were likelier to participate in UPB than female, unmarried, and general staff. These findings suggest that workplace friendships, affective commitment, and CEC may have a previously unexplored dark side. This study deepens the understanding of the environmental and personal factors that influence employee participation in UPB and contributes to the literature on the potential negative consequences of positive factors. We also discuss essential theoretical and practical implications and future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]