How Does Less Unethical Behavior Happen? The Moderating Role of Pay Satisfaction on the Disappearance of the Moral Slippery Slope Effect

Abstract

The moral slippery slope effect refers to the phenomenon where, within groups or organizations, the incidence of individual unethical behaviors increases and escalates over time. To systematically identify factors that drive the disappearance of this effect, three studies were conducted using a 20-round spontaneous deception task. Study 1 compared the trend of the moral slippery slope effect under accumulative versus non-accumulative pay conditions. Results indicated that the moral slippery slope effect disappeared under accumulative pay but persisted under non-accumulative pay. Studies 2 and 3 further examined the moderating role of pay satisfaction in the moral slippery slope effect, specifically under accumulative pay. Results revealed that pay satisfaction significantly moderated the relationship between experimental rounds and the moral slippery slope effect: the effect persisted when participants reported low pay satisfaction but disappeared when pay satisfaction was high. Collectively, these findings confirm two key conclusions: (1) accumulative pay is a necessary prerequisite for the disappearance of the moral slippery slope effect; (2) pay satisfaction moderates the disappearance of this effect under accumulative pay. This study provides empirical support for moral balance theory and offers practical implications for organizations: designing accumulative pay systems and aligning pay with employee expectations can effectively prevent moral decline by enhancing pay satisfaction.

Keywords

moral balance theory / moral slippery slope effect / pay satisfaction / pay type / unethical behavior

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