Organizational Climate and Workplace Deviance: A Bibliometric and Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Mavis Ako Osei, Issah Ofori, Daniel Agyemfour-Agyemang Sarpong, Eric Dadzie Boafo and Samuel Brako

This article presents a systematic and bibliometric review of 267 peer-reviewed publications (2020–2025) to examine how organizational climate relates to workplace deviance. Using PRISMA-guided screening and dual bibliometric– content synthesis, publication trends, research clusters and core constructs across the field were mapped out. The review shows that organizational climate facets such as ethical climate, organizational justice, organizational support, benevolent climate, among others anchor the literature, alongside deviance forms such as counterproductive work behavior, incivility and aggression. Substantively, positive climates consistently align with lower deviance and better individual and organizational outcomes, while hostile or politicized climates are associated with elevated deviance. Yet constructs and measures are applied unevenly across studies, limiting cumulation and cross-study comparability. Results also highlight moral disengagement, emotional exhaustion and psychological contract breach as central mediating mechanisms and moderators such as leadership styles, cultural values and resilience. The review unifies existing evidence, strengthens theoretical clarity, and proposes future research using longitudinal, multilevel, and context-aware methods.

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