African Journal of
Business Management

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Bus. Manage.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1993-8233
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJBM
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 4194

Full Length Research Paper

Key factors affecting deviant workplace behavior

Shao-Ping Wang
  • Shao-Ping Wang
  • Department of Business Management, Nanhua University, Dalin, Chiayi, Taiwan, R.O.C.
  • Google Scholar
Miao-Sheng Chen
  • Miao-Sheng Chen
  • Department of Business Management, Nanhua University, Dalin, Chiayi, Taiwan, R.O.C.
  • Google Scholar
Mou-Jian Li
  • Mou-Jian Li
  • Department of Tourism Management, Nanhua University, Dalin, Chiayi, Taiwan, R.O.C.
  • Google Scholar


  •  Received: 02 January 2018
  •  Accepted: 19 February 2018
  •  Published: 28 May 2018

Abstract

Deviant behaviors manifest in many organizations and all occupations. Deviant behaviors in the workplace may originate from organizational norms and proclivities for self-benefit. The organizational culture influences employees’ attitudes. Employees internalize the organizational culture, which transforms their personal attitudes and influences their positive and negative behaviors towards the organization. This study explores the key factors affecting deviant workplace behaviors based on various dimensions such as organizational deviance, interpersonal deviance, leader-member exchange, and corporate culture. The multiple-criteria decision-making analysis method was applied and dimensions developed based on scale factors devised in previous literature. The opinions of experts from industry, the government, and academia were examined. The affecting factors were then weighed and ordered according to their importance. According to the research results, among the key factors affecting deviant workplace behavior, the organizational deviance variable of production deviance has the most significant impact on organizational development. The second most significant factor was anti-organizational behavior, a variable of interpersonal deviance, followed by members’ behavior and attribution, a leader-member exchange variable. Businesses are advised to formulate rules that prohibit organizational deviance, while building a supportive organizational culture and enhancing positivity in the workplace to reduce deviant behavior.

Key words: Leader-member exchange, corporate culture, organizational deviance.