The Effects Of Implicit Power Versus Explicit Power On Unethical Behavior

Power is defined as “asymmetric control over valued resources in social relations”(Magee & Galinsky,2008).Previous research has demonstrated that power leads to unethical behavior.This conclusion,however,was challenged by the findings of recent studies.The current study predicts that the effect of power on unethical behavior is moderated by individuals’ awareness of power.Specifically,when implicit power – power below the level of consciousness – is activated,the powerful tend to commit more unethical acts than the powerless.In contrast,when explicit power – conscious awareness of power – is activated,there is no difference between the powerful and the powerless in the propensity to conduct immoral behavior.Furthermore,mood and communion are predicted to mediate the interaction between power and awareness of power on unethical behavior.In reality,the powerful are always in a positive mood,which decreases their inclinations to behave immorally;the negative mood puts the powerless in a greater inclination to conduct immoral behavior.Thus,mood may mediate the interaction between power and awareness of power on unethical behavior.In addition,in actual organization settings,as power tends to arouse ones’ social responsibility,such attention to others’ interests decreases their likelihood to violate morals.Three studies were conducted to examine the relationships among power,level of awareness and unethical behavior.Study 1 aims to show how power affects unethical behavior.A 2(power: high vs.low)× 2(explicitness of power cues:subliminal vs.supraliminal)between-subjects design was used with unethical behavior as the dependent variable.Participants(n=91,university students)were first presented with power cues either subliminally or supraliminally.Then participants rated the extent to which they were willing to commit unethical act described,and completed the Mood Scale.Results showed that under implicit power condition,thepowerful were more willing to conduct unethical behavior than the powerless.Yet under explicit power condition,there was no difference between the powerful and the powerless in the propensity to behave immorally.Study 2 examines how power intermixed with mood affects unethical behavior.Study 2 used a 2(power: high vs.low)× 2(processing: high vs.low)between-subjects design with unethical behavior as the dependent variable.Different from Study 1,power cues presented in Study 2 were above the level of conscious awareness,but varied the degree to which the cues were cognitively processed.Specifically,participants(n=169,university students)were asked to either finish word-search task(low processing condition)or complete an extra recall task after word searching(high processing condition).All participants then rated the extent to which they were willing to commit unethical behavior described,and completed the Mood Scale.Results showed that,under the condition of implicit power,the powerless were more likely to conduct unethical behavior than the powerful;under the condition of explicit power,there was no difference between the powerful and the powerless in the propensity to behave immorally.Besides,sad mood mediated the interaction between power and processing of power on unethical behavior.Yet such results were merely observed in female participants.Study 3 investigates how power influences unethical behavior in the workplace.206 working people were surveyed using the Generalized Sense of Power Scale,the Measure of Power Cue Explicitness,the Communion Scale,and the Measure of Propensity to Engage in Unethical Behavior.Results showed that,in the organizations where power cues were implicit,the powerless committed more immoral acts than the powerful;in the organization where power cues were explicit,there was no difference between the powerful and the powerless in the propensity to behave immorally.In addition,the interaction between power and power cue explicitness on unethical behavior was mediated by communion.To conclude,(1)awareness of power moderates the effect of power on unethical behavior;under the condition of implicit power,the powerful commit more unethical acts than does the powerless.(2)Mood mediates the interaction between power andawareness of power on unethical behavior;under the condition of implicit power,the powerless are more likely to feel sad,which increases their tendencies to behave immorally.(3)Communion partly mediates the interaction of power and awareness of power on unethical behavior;under the condition of implicit power,the powerless pay less attention to others’ interests,which leads them to commit more immoral acts.