Lack of sleep and unethical conduct Christopher M. Barnes a,⇑ , John Schaubroeck b , Megan Huth c , Sonia Ghumman d a Department of Management, Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech, 2007 Pamplin Hall (0233), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States b Psychology Department and Eli Broad College of Business, Michigan State University, United States c Psychology Department, Michigan State University, United States d Management and Industrial Relations Department, University of Hawaii, United States article info Article history: Received 12 July 2010 Accepted 31 January 2011 Available online 11 March 2011 Accepted by Julie Irwin Keywords: Ethics Unethical behavior Deviance Sleep Fatigue Self-regulation Ego depletion abstract We draw from the Ego Depletion model and research on sleep physiology to predict a relationship between lack of sleep and individuals’ unethical behavior. Laboratory studies showed that sleep quantity is positively related to self-control resources and negative associated with unethical behavior. In a cross- sectional field study examining unethical behavior in a variety of work settings, low levels of sleep, and low perceived quality of sleep, were both positively related to unethical behavior as rated by the super- visor, and cognitive fatigue mediated the influence of sleep quantity. In an experience sampling field study, we found similar effects within-individuals. We discuss the role of lost sleep in better understand- ing unethical behavior in organizations. Published by Elsevier Inc. Introduction As organizations shrink their workforces in the face of stiff com- petition, they often impose heavier demands on employees in terms of longer hours and varying shifts that impair workers’ abil- ity to get needed rest (Basner et al., 2007; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2004; National Sleep Foundation, 2005). This has been found to result in higher workplace accident rates, lower morale and various indicators of poor health (Barnes & Wagner, 2009; Caruso, Bushnell, Eggerth, Heitmann, et al., 2006; Scott & Judge, 2006). Although researchers have identified various unhealthful outcomes of poor sleep, in this paper we exam- ine its implications for ethical behavior. Ethical behavior is defined as behavior that is both legal and morally acceptable to the larger community in which it occurs, whereas unethical behavior is either illegal or morally unaccept- able (Jones, 1991). Organizational research indicates the impor- tance and pervasiveness of unethical behavior, with outcomes as varied as theft (Greenberg, 2002), sexual harassment (Glomb et al., 1997), and false performance reporting (Bennett & Robinson, 2000). Harm done to various stakeholders highlights the impor- tance of understanding behavioral ethics in workplace settings. Most research on the topic of unethical conduct has examined relatively static individual differences or organizational character- istics as antecedents of unethical behavior (Kish-Gephart, Harrison, & Trevino, 2010; Trevino, Weaver, & Reynolds, 2006), such as stage of moral development, gender, age, education, work experience, personality, ethical climate, and culture. However, there is increas- ing interest in antecedent conditions that may vary over time (Jan- off-Bulman, Sheikh, & Hepp, 2009; Mead, Baumeister, Gino, Schweitzer, & Ariely, 2009; Sachdeva, Iliev, & Medin, 2009). These conditions can be more readily influenced by the organization’s or work unit’s leadership or by the employees themselves. The purpose of this paper is to extend theory on behavioral ethics to include dynamic employee characteristics, focusing specifically on sleep. Individuals’ ability to suppress choices that are desirable but unethical is important to ethical decision making. Drawing from the Ego Depletion model (Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Muraven, & Tice, 1998; Muraven & Baumeister, 2000), we argue that employees are less likely to resist the temptation to engage in unethical behavior when they are low on sleep. We test hypotheses concerning a pro- cess model whereby sleep leads to unethical behavior using a com- bination of laboratory and field studies. Given that the sources of poor sleep are often derived from organizationally imposed work demands, such a connection between sleep and unethical behavior would point to a plausible new means to enhance ethical behavior. Ego Depletion model The Ego Depletion model developed by Baumeister et al. (c.f. Baumeister et al., 1998; Gailliot et al., 2007; Muraven & 0749-5978/$ - see front matter Published by Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.01.009 ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: cmbarnes@vt.edu (C.M. Barnes). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 115 (2011) 169–180 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/obhdp