Past Good Deeds Can Make You Bad: Moral Credential Effect of Organisational Identification on Careerism

Drawing on moral licencing theory, this study explores how organisational identification may paradoxically lead to unethical outcomes in the workplace. We hypothesised that organisational identification is linked to negative workplace gossip, which in turn fosters careerism. Additionally, we proposed that workplace toxicity moderates both the direct relationship between organisational identification and negative workplace gossip and the indirect relationship between organisational identification and careerism via gossip. Using a multiwave single-source research design, we collected data from 209 employees working in the service sector. Employing PROCESS macro analysis, our findings support a mediated relationship between organisational identification and careerism through negative workplace gossip. Furthermore, the effect of organisational identification on gossip was stronger in toxic work environments, and a toxic environment also amplified the indirect effect on careerism. This topic is significant because it challenges the conventional positive framing of organisational identification by highlighting its potential to contribute to self-serving behaviours in adverse workplace conditions. Our study extends research on the dark side of organisational identification by revealing its effects on gossip and careerism and underscores the role of workplace toxicity in exacerbating these outcomes.