Australian Journal of Business and Management Research Vol.2 No.06 [32-39] | September-2012 ISSN: 1839 - 0846 32 SELF-CONTROL AS A MODERATOR OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FORMAL CONTROL AND WORKPLACE DEVIANCE: A Proposed Framework Faridahwati Mohd. Shamsudin Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 UUM Sintok Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia faridah@uum.edu.my Ajay Chauhan Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 UUM Sintok Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia ajay@uum.edu.my Kabiru Maitama Kura (Corresponding author) Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 UUM Sintok Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia km_kura@yahoo.co.uk ABSTRACT Several studies in the field of management, organizational psychology, sociology and criminology have reported that workplace deviance is related to organization/work variables, such as organizational justice, job satisfaction, perceived organizational support, and job stress, among others. However, few studies have attempted to consider the influence of formal control and workplace deviance. Even if any, they have reported conflicting findings. Therefore, a moderating variable is suggested. This paper proposes a moderating role of self-control on the relationship between formal control and workplace deviance. Keywords: formal control, workplace deviance, self control, conceptual framework 1. INTRODUCTION Workplace deviance is a pervasive phenomenon and costly to organizations (Aquino, Galperin, & Bennett, 2004). For example, Hollinger and Adams (2010) reported that in 2010, U.S. retailers attributed about 45% of their inventory shortage, which was representing approximately $15.9 billion, to employee theft. They further reported that employee theft was the first largest source of inventory shrinkage in the year 2010. In Nigerian higher institutions of learning, workplace deviance such as irregular attendance of classes and other official assignments by lecturers, academic plagiarism, unauthorized award of marks based on purchase of handouts, threatening and intimidating female students by some of the male lecturers, exchange of money for marks, exchange of sex for grade and/or sexual harassment have been frequently reported in the news media (Adamu, 2012; Sahara Reporters, 2011; Official Bongo Life, 2012). Deviant behaviors are not only financially costing the organization, but they may result in negative work outcomes. It has been reported that workplace deviance such as sexual harassment is associated with negative outcomes including lateness, absenteeism and increased stress (Hanisch, Hulin, & Roznowski, 1998; Willness, Steel & Lee, 2007). It is because of these negative consequences that studies that look into workplace deviance are warranted so that appropriate measures can be proposed and recommended on how to mitigate such phenomenon. Various factors have been proposed to explain why employees engage in deviant behaviour at work. One of the factors is organizational in nature. Organizational factors are factors that are related to the organization that may be influence workplace deviance. According to Robbins and Judge (2010), organizational factors are an important consideration in understanding employee attitude and behaviour at work because they are able to shape the way employees think, feel, and behave. Given the theoretical significance, studies have been conducted to examine the role of organizational factors in influencing workplace deviance. To date, some of the organizational-related factors that have been considered include perceived organizational support (Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison & Sowa, 1986; Ferris, Brown, & Heller, 2009; Ladebo,