The Impact of Social Identification with Leadership on Employee Cooperation with Biomedical Corporate Corruption: A Phenomenological Study
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Authors
Novak, Stacey
Issue Date
2026-03
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Business, Engineering, Science, & Technological Innovation , Workforce Development Needs & Industry Alignment , Identity Leadership , Followership
Alternative Title
Abstract
In biomedical organizations, the interaction between destructive leadership, susceptible employees, and supportive environments can result in toxic workplaces, leading to significant financial losses annually and disproportionately impacting vulnerable groups. While most research has concentrated on leadership and organizational culture, the influence of employee behavior within corruption remains less thoroughly examined. The problem to be addressed in this study was the need to better understand why certain employees become cooperative followers of corrupt leaders within biomedical corporations. This qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis examined the intricate lived experiences of seven former employees from a major private biomedical corporation prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice for corrupt practices. Utilizing semi-structured interviews and triangulation from public interviews and recorded depositions, the study sought to understand factors such as relational identification with leadership, collective identity, value alignment with leadership and group norms, and behavioral adaptation. Thematic coding and iterative analysis revealed that employees who supported unethical activities within biomedical firms exhibited diminished recognition of ethical dilemmas (moral insensitivity), experienced moral fatigue, and showed frequent negative emotions, potentially intensifying conforming behaviors. The lived experiences of employees reflected the influence of social identification with a leader during unethical dilemmas. Participants’ accounts were consistent with the dual agency model of identity leadership and engaged followership, which served as the study’s theoretical framework. Notably, the research identified the critical role of identification not only with leadership but also among colleagues in promoting engaged followership. Team cohesion and connection contributed to supervisors' motivation to remain in ethically challenging environments, often as a means of safeguarding their teams. Additionally, the concept of impresarioship was broadened to include perceptions of success independent of objective outcomes. Recommendations for practice and future research address strategies to protect employees against susceptible followership and explore how the dimensions of identification with leadership interact with evaluations of leadership effectiveness or serve as protection from destructive leadership. This research provides valuable insights into employees' roles as followers within workplaces shaped by destructive leadership and cultures prone to unethical conduct, which are risks relevant to any organization lacking robust governance and safeguards.