Abstract
M.Comm.
The aim of this study was to establish, within the South African context, the extent to which
character-strengths specifically self-control and integrity are related to the propensity to
engage in deviant workplace behaviour. Due to the inherent difficulty of obtaining unbiased
responses on sensitive issues, both self-report and non-self-report measures of each of the
Character Strengths and Deviant Workplace Behaviour Scales were administered to a
convenience sample of 292 South African employees working in different industries. Using
principal axis factoring, one reliable factor was extracted from both the Self-control Scale and
the Integrity Scale. With regards to the Deviant Workplace Behaviour Scale, three reliable
factors were extracted. The character strength factors were found to be positively intercorrelated,
as was the case with the deviant workplace behaviour factors. The results
confirmed that a negative correlation exists between character strengths, in particular selfcontrol
and integrity, and the propensity to engage in deviant workplace behaviour, implying
that the employees with stronger self-control and integrity are less likely to engage in deviant
workplace behaviour. In addition, the findings of the study showed that employees in general
consider themselves to have stronger character strengths and a lower propensity to engage in
deviant workplace behaviour than that which they perceive their colleagues to have.
Significant differences between the self-report and non-self-report measures were evidenced.
The study has clear practical significance for organisations, specifically the human resources
divisions within organisations, and recruitment agencies, in terms of possible proxy measures
to determine the propensity of job applicants to engage in deviant workplace behaviour.
Key words: ethics, deviant workplace behaviour, self-control, integrity, character
strength, self-report measures, non-self-report measures