Dual Effects of Managerial Pro-Social Rule Breaking on Employee Behavior in the Chinese Context

Currently, the phenomenon that social rule is overshadowed by power and favor exchange still exists in Chinese culture and society. Consequently, the problem of managerial pro-social rule breaking (MPSRB) occurs frequently in enterprise management. However, the consequences of MPSRB are relatively ambiguous and controversial. Using interview data obtained from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Xi'an in China, the categories of MPSRB and their influence on employee behavior were explored in this study by integrating universalism and particularism from the perspectives of trust in leadership and institutional trust. Results show that in the Chinese context, MPSRB can be classified as bene-volence- based, practicability-based and justice-based, and its influence on employees' organizational trust (i.e., trust in leadership and institutional trust) is dualistic and opposite, that is, MPSRB improves employees' trust in leadership while decreasing institutional trust. Through the mediating effect of trust in leadership, MPSRB improves relation-oriented employee behavior. By contrast, MPSRB reduces task-oriented employee behavior through the mediating effect of institutional trust. These findings can actively contribute toward the enhancement of Chinese organizational behavior and social behavior intervention theories. Furthermore, the results are beneficial for enterprises with respect to the positive interventions and guidance of managers and employees' behaviors by developing scientific and rational management measures necessary for further improvement in organizational effectiveness.