The Effect of Leader Knowledge Theft on Employees’ Unethical Behavior: The Roles of Perceived Contextual Impunity and Role Ethicality

Although leader knowledge theft has garnered growing attention, our understanding of its implicit costs remains incomplete. Drawing on social information processing theory and role theory, this study examines the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions through which leader knowledge theft influences employee unethical behavior. To empirically test this model, we collected three-wave data from 425 full-time employees in China. The results reveal that leader knowledge theft fosters employees’ perceived contextual impunity, which subsequently promotes their unethical behavior. Furthermore, employee role ethicality plays a critical moderating role in this process. Specifically, high role ethicality buffers the positive relationship between perceived contextual impunity and unethical behavior. Finally, we discuss the theoretical contributions and practical implications of these findings regarding leader knowledge theft, perceived contextual impunity, and unethical behavior.