Destructive Leaders

The caring climate

An ethical climate is a specific type of an organizational climate. According to Martin and Cullen, an ethical climate involves "the perception of what constitutes correct behaviour, and as such, it becomes the psychological mechanism by which the ethical issues are managed". The concept includes a set of procedures, policies, and organisational practices that have moral content and consequences. Thus, the ethical climate influences the decision-making and behavioural responses to ethical dilemmas and, as a consequence, it is reflected in many organisational outcomes. Victor and Cullen's seminal works on this topic proposes an empirically tested typology of ethical climates, based on two dimensions: (a) "ethical criterion", grounded in the dominant moral philosophy in decision-making, includes egoism, benevolence, and principle; (b) "locus of analysis", used in reaching decisions, includes individual, local/organizational, and cosmopolitan.

The "caring climate" is one of the nine climates identified and is the only one considered in this study. Caring climate is related to benevolence (ethical criterion), both individual and organizational (locus). When organizations have this type of climate, decision-making is based on care and concern for the welfare of others. The caring climate tends to discourage destructive behaviours since it is focused on the decisions that result in the best for everyone in the organisations. The leaders' behaviours establish, directly and indirectly, the ethical climate of organisations through encouragement, rewards, or actions. The leader is a role model capable of influencing the ethical conduct of employees. Caring climate tends to encourage those behaviours that result in what is best for the majority of people in organisations. Generally, caring climates are the most preferred ones. Thus:

H2. Destructive leadership is negatively related to a caring climate.

The caring climate can influence many organisational outcomes, including innovation. Although the research has considered organisational climate to be a determinant of innovation, few studies examine the relationship between a caring climate and organisational innovation. Deshpande concludes that a caring climate has a positive effect on employees' satisfaction with their supervisors. Choi et al. report that a caring climate is positively related to organisational innovation. Therefore:

H3. Caring climate is positively related to behavioural innovation.

Mayer et al. point out that the ethical climate can have a mitigating role in the relationship between ethical leadership and employees' behaviour. Thus, when leaders adopt an ethical behaviour (i.e., they show integrity, fairness, reliability and concern for others), they create a supportive environment for a high caring climate. Accordingly:

H4. Caring climate mitigates the relationship between destructive leadership and behavioural innovation.