Decreasing Workplace Unethical Behavior Through Mindfulness: A Study Based on the Dual-System Theory of Ethical Decision-Making

Xiaodong Ming, Xinwen Bai, Jingyu Fu, Jianfeng Yang

Journal of Business Ethics · 2025 · Volume 196 · Issue 1

Abstract

Workplace unethical behavior poses a significant challenge for organizations, thus highlighting the importance of examining the intervention strategies used to manage such behaviors. In recent years, mindfulness has gained traction as a promising way of curbing workplace unethical behavior, receiving interest from business ethics scholars. Regrettably, prior research on mindfulness and workplace unethical behavior has predominantly focused on the potential benefits of mindfulness with regard to the reasoning process underlying ethical decision-making, overlooking the intuitive process. Drawing on the dual-system theory of ethical decision-making, this study develops a dual-process model to examine the role of mindfulness in reducing unethical behavior. Based on two-wave data collected from 357 employees, our findings demonstrate that mindfulness mitigates both moral disengagement and emotional exhaustion, resulting in a reduction in workplace unethical behavior. Moreover, moral identity serves as a boundary condition for the effects of mindfulness on ethical decision-making. In particular, mindfulness significantly decreases moral disengagement and consequently curtails workplace unethical behavior predominantly among individuals with low moral identity. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings as well as potential avenues for future research are discussed.

Keywords

Workplace unethical behavior, Mindfulness, Dual-system theory, Ethical decision-making

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