Ethical climate and pro-social rule breaking in the workplace

Pro-social rule breaking (PSRB), rule-breaking to promote the interests of the organization, is a burgeoning topic on the scholarly landscape, but drivers of this behavior remain largely unexplained. This paper seeks to extend theory on PSRB by conceptualizing this behavior as an ethical decision requiring tradeoffs and ethical assessments. Specifically, we offer a model of PSRB that contextualizes the behavior within Victor and Cullen's (1988) five-dimensional typology of organizational ethical climate. We offer a set of propositions that provides theory on the role of each climate type on PSRB, as well as additional theorizing about salient individual attributes that impact PSRB. In addition to clarifying PSRB as an ethical decision, this paper offers theory at multiple levels of analysis on what drives PSRB. Specifically core self-evaluations are proposed as antecedents to PSRB. This theorizing is also integrated into literature on HR policy and HR decision-making implications of the model for HR practitioners are discussed, and a set of future research directions are offered.

► Drivers of pro-social rule breaking (PSRB) remain largely unexplored.
► A multi-level model of pro-social rule breaking is offered.
► Core self evaluations are proposed as an individual-level driver.
► Ethical climate is theorized as a direct and contextualizing factor in PSRB.