"Blame deviance to Machiavellianism": role of mediator and moderator

PurposeDrawing from the Moral Disengagement theory and the Social Exchange Theory, the present study posits to examine the influence of personality, that is Machiavellianism on organizational deviance in the service industry. Furthermore, the role of moral disengagement as a mediator accentuating the organizational deviance of service employees was examined. Also, the role of Servant Leadership as a moderator on the mediated relationship between Machiavellianism and Organizational Deviance via Moral Disengagement is investigated.Design/methodology/approachThe data was collected from 269 employees working in hotels in northern India using the snowball technique. SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 were the statistical tools utilized to test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsMachiavellianism was positively related to Organizational Deviance. Findings support the fact that Moral disengagement is a mediator in the relationship between Machiavellianism and Organizational Deviance. Service Leadership moderated the mediated relationship between Machiavellianism and Organizational deviance via Moral disengagement such that the relationship was found to be weaker when Service Leadership was high.Practical implicationsDue to its emphasis on interpersonal interaction and intangible services, the hotel industry differs from other sectors of the economy. Employees contact directly with clients and are responsible for meeting their demands. As a result of these frequent interactions, controlling employee deviation is essential in the services industry. The study holds significant and notable implications from the organizational or managerial perspective.Originality/valueThe present study distinctively contributes by bringing the effect of personality on deviant behaviors in the hotel industry which is unmapped, besides examining the role of moral disengagement as the mediator and servant leadership as a moderator mitigating organizational deviance and morally disengaged workforce.