Organizational misbehaviors: construct review and hierarchical reflective model

Abstract

Purpose Organizational misbehavior (OMB) is a complex phenomenon for researchers and a major issue facing practitioners because of both its copious negative individual and organizational outcomes and its complexity. Researchers and practitioners are increasingly becoming aware of different types of work-related misbehaviors and their significant and costly consequences for both employees and organizations. OMB can take many forms, and a plethora of terms have been introduced to describe those OMBs. This article aims to review the constructs describing workplace misbehaviors in current organizational behavior literature. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a qualitative systematic review to organize OMB-related constructs. Findings This paper provides a review of workplace misbehavior constructs and a broader, more organized picture of OMB by developing a hierarchical reflective model. It highlights some challenges that the OMB literature needs to overcome. Originality/value Unlike previous review articles that primarily focused on workplace misbehaviors intended to cause harm or damage, this review includes misbehaviors intended to both damage and benefit.