Digitalization and employees' unethical pro-organizational behavior in international engineering projects: mediating mechanisms and contextual moderators

Purpose This study examines how digitalization influences employees' unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) in international engineering projects. It investigates whether digitalization affects UPB directly or indirectly through digital stress and information transparency, and whether this relationship is conditioned by cultural differences and geographical dispersion. Design/methodology/approach A pilot test was conducted to refine the questionnaire. The final survey was distributed to contractor employees engaged in international engineering projects, yielding 201 valid responses. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling and Importance–Performance Map Analysis. Findings The study revealed that digitalization does not have a significant direct effect on UPB. Its influence operates through indirect and context-dependent mechanisms. Digital stress serves as a risk-enhancing pathway, whereas information transparency serves as a risk-reducing pathway. Cultural differences and geographical dispersion further condition the relationship between digitalization and UPB. Originality/value Theoretically, this study bridges digitalization research and UPB literature by examining how digitalization is linked to unethical behavior in international engineering projects. Practically, it contributes to ethical risk management by highlighting factors that should be considered when implementing digital systems.