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Benefits of Bad Behavior: Cost and Benefits of Deviance in the Job Demands-Deviance Relationship
Abstract   Open access

Benefits of Bad Behavior: Cost and Benefits of Deviance in the Job Demands-Deviance Relationship

Lindsey Greco, Stacy Lyn Astrove, Erik Gonzalez-Mule and Michael K Mount
Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, Vol.2017(1), p.17336
08/2017
DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2017.17336abstract
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https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2017.17336abstractView
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Abstract only Counterproductive workplace behavior is often described as rampant, but the reported base rate of the behavior is actually quite low. One reason for this may be that people consciously weigh the costs and benefits of engaging in such behavior. Counterproductive work behavior may provide easily accomplished, immediate gratification (i.e., benefit) but there are often long-term negative consequences (i.e., costs) that flow from the act itself. Drawing from current theoretical models of counterproductive work behavior, we test a model wherein the relationship between job demands and counterproductive work behavior is moderated by the perceived costs and benefits of engaging in deviance. Across two samples, job demands are associated with higher rates of counterproductive work behavior when perceived costs are low and perceived benefits are high but not when perceived costs are high and benefits are low. Contrary to expectations, the relationship between job demands and counterproductive work behavior is also positive when both costs and benefits are high. We discuss both the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

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