The interpersonal diffusion mechanism of unethical behavior in groups: a social network perspective

Previous studies examining the impact of the unethical behavior of a group of colleagues on an individuals unethical behavior have typically employed social learning theory as a theoretical foundation. In this research, we extend these rich yet defective examinations by addressing the largely ignored relationship perspective. Drawing on the social network perspective, we posit that the structure of relationships significantly influences the process of unethical behavior diffusion. Consistent with the theoretically derived hypotheses, our agent-based model simulation results provide general support for our theoretical model: colleagues unethical behaviors positively affect an individuals unethical behaviors, and this influence is positively moderated by group network density, group network closeness centrality and group size. This paper also discusses theoretical contributions, practical values, limitations and directions for future research.