Influence of machiavellianism, transparency and moral intelligence on integrity, leader effectiveness and organisational citizenship behaviour

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was rooted in the need for organisations to utilise methods andtechniques which serve to better address unethical decision making and influenceswithin the organisation when employees are employed. Critical analysis of existingbodies of research led to the identification of integrity-related behaviours, whichpresented such behaviours as a possible means by which to address the abovementionedneed. Integrity was therefore selected as the primary focus of this study.Further theorising led to Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) and leadereffectiveness emerging as outcomes of integrity-related behaviours within anorganisational context. The presence of OCB and leader effectiveness was thereforeseen as validating the existence of integrity.The process of theorising then focused on constructs that influence integrity-relatedbehaviours in an organisation. Further research highlighted that the absence ofMachiavellianism and the presence of transparency and moral intelligence mayinfluence integrity-related behaviours comprehensively. Further theoreticalrelationships were found between transparency and leader effectiveness; moralintelligence and leader effectiveness; and moral intelligence and OCB. Additionalliterature was researched and the conceptualisation of each construct and theproposed relationships were examined. These relationships were constructed into atheoretical structural model.The overarching research hypothesis was therefore to determine the validity of theinfluence of the selected integrity-related personality constructs (Moral Intelligence,Machiavellianism and Transparency) on the construct of integrity, with OCB andleader effectiveness as outcomes thereof. The theoretical structural model andoverarching substantive research hypothesis were supplemented by eightsubstantive research hypotheses, which were used to validate and provide supportfor the proposed relationships. In order to do so, the quantitative approach that wasfollowed was coupled with an explanatory research design and the use of StructuralEquation Modelling (SEM) to conduct the statistical analysis.The following psychometric tests were used to measure the variables in thestructural model: Ethical Integrity Test (EIT), Leader Effectiveness Questionnaire(LEQ), Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale (OCBS), the Moral Competence Inventory (MCI), the Transparency Scale, and the Organisational Machiavellianism Scale (OMS).Respondents on these measures who were selected by means of convenience sampling completed the questionnaires via an email link as well as in paper-and-pen format. A total of 208 respondents were obtained. Once the data were analysed, significant relationships were found between Integrity and OCB; Integrity and leader effectiveness; moral intelligence and OCB; moral intelligence and leader effectiveness; moral intelligence and integrity; and transparency and leader effectiveness. Partial support was found for the postulated relationship between transparency and integrity (through Pearson correlation) whereas no support was obtained for the proposed relationship between Machiavellianism and integrity.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University