Pro-Supervisor Unethical Behaviour
Ethics & CSRReliability: alpha 0.883 sample items
About this scale
A 5-item measure of an employee's willingness to engage in unethical actions specifically to benefit their direct supervisor, distinct from pro-organizational unethical behaviour. Captures the dyadic loyalty dimension of moral disengagement.
Sample item(s)
“If it would help my supervisor, I would misrepresent the truth to make him/her look good.”
“If my supervisor needed me to, I would conceal information that could embarrass him/her.”
“If it would help my supervisor, I would exaggerate his/her achievements to others.”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.88. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Conceptual sibling to UPB; differentiates organization-target from supervisor-target unethical loyalty.
Source & citation
Mesdaghinia, S., Rawat, A., & Nadavulakere, S. (2019): Why moral followers quit: Examining the role of leader bottom-line mentality and unethical behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 159, No. 2, pp. 491–505.
Mesdaghinia, Rawat & Nadavulakere (2019): Pro-supervisor unethical behavior. JBE, 159(2), 491–505.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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