The Paradox of Organizational Behavior in Command Institutions: A Critical Study of Obedience, Integrity, and Loyalty in the Indonesian National Police
Keywords:
obedience, organizational silence, loyalty, moral disengagement, police ethics, institutional integrity, hierarchical institutions
Abstract
This study critically examines the paradox of obedience within the Indonesian National Police (Polri), a command-based institution where hierarchical discipline, loyalty, and ethical conduct are often in tension. Drawing on 25 in-depth interviews with police officers and community members, and supported by document analysis, the research explores how institutional structures and leadership cultures shape behaviors related to moral disengagement, organizational silence, and vertical loyalty. Using a qualitative case study approach under an interpretivist paradigm, thematic coding was conducted with NVivo software to identify five dominant patterns: (1) imperative hierarchical obedience, (2) loyalty to superiors over institutional values, (3) systemic erosion of personal integrity, (4) fear-driven organizational silence, and (5) bifurcated public perceptions of institutional legitimacy. The findings reveal that obedience is frequently decoupled from moral judgment, transforming into an instrument of structural control that suppresses dissent and rewards conformity. Moreover, loyalty—while fostering cohesion—can enable permissive cultures that rationalize unethical conduct when not grounded in institutional ethics. The study offers a conceptual model linking obedience, loyalty, and silence as a behavioral continuum, which, if left unmoderated by ethical leadership and institutional integrity, results in normalized moral disengagement. This paper contributes theoretically to the discourse on command institutions by reframing obedience as an ethical condition shaped by organizational design, not merely individual will. It also provides practical insights for reforming policing culture through leadership training, whistleblower protection, and integrity-based accountability frameworks.
References
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Ahmadian, S., & Ejrami, M. (2023). Organizational silence, organizational trust, and organizational commitment. Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Business (Jhssb), 3(1), 112–124. https://doi.org/10.55047/jhssb.v3i1.817
Berry, Z., Lewis, N., & Sowden, W. (2021). The double-edged sword of loyalty. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/ckmr6
Donner, C., & Maskály, J. (2022). Adherence to the police code of silence: Examining changes in recruits’ perceptions during the training academy. Policing: An International Journal, 46(1), 55–70. https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm-08-2022-0109
Einolf, C. (2024). Administrative evil and moral disengagement: The case of torture in apartheid-era South Africa. Public Administration Review, 85(3), 641–651. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13875
Erwandy, E., Nugroho, A., Harnovinsah, H., & Darmansyah, D. (2025). Whistleblowing behavior model and social influence: A systematic literature review. IJEMS, 2(1), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.61132/ijems.v2i1.440
Eryanto, D., Jones, I., & Lasthuizen, K. (2022). The troubling impact of political interference in Indonesian public sector institutions on ethical leadership credibility. International Journal of Public Leadership, 18(4), 319–336. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijpl-10-2021-0056
Fan, W., Wang, Z., & Wang, W. (2023). How subjective ethical congruence facilitates leadership identification construction: A followership perspective. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 41(1), 23–39. https://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1739
Guo, F., Xue, Z., He, J., & Yasmin, F. (2023). Ethical leadership and workplace behavior in the education sector: The implications of employees’ ethical work behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1040000. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1040000
Håkansson, H. (2022). Contradictions of Ordered Trust: Trust-based Work and Conflicting Logics in Municipal Care 1 ❚. In Nordic journal of working life studies (Vol. 12, Issue 3). https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/index.
Harun, H., An, Y., & Syah, R. (2020). Institutionalization of IPSAS in Indonesia: A critical analysis. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 33(1), 73–90. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-07-2019-0181
Hattab, S., Wirawan, H., Salam, R., Daswati, D., & Niswaty, R. (2022). The effect of toxic leadership on turnover intention and counterproductive work behaviour in Indonesian public organisations. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 35(3), 317–333. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijpsm-06-2021-0142
Hsieh, H., Hsu, H., Kao, K., & Wang, C. (2020). Ethical leadership and employee unethical pro-organizational behavior: A moderated mediation model of moral disengagement and coworker ethical behavior. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 41(6), 799–812. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj-10-2019-0464
Javaid, A., Dixon, L., & Aslam, A. (2020). Crimes of obedience and police deviance: Towards an understanding of police corruption. Policing and Society, 30(8), 945–961. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2020.1772185
Kang, S., & Moon, T. (2016). Impact of Information Exchange and Supply Chain Integration on Supply Chain Performance. International Journal of U- And E- Service Science and Technology, 9(7), 237–246. https://doi.org/10.14257/ijunesst.2016.9.7.24
Kleden, I. (2025). Emosi institusional dan kepatuhan di lembaga komando. Jurnal Etika Dan Administrasi Publik, 12(1), 22–35.
Knysh, V., & Ponomarenko, T. (2021). The institutional environment of extractive industries as a driver of sustainable development in resource-driven economies. E3S Web of Conferences, 296, 06010. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202129606010
Kozina, A. (2021). Organizational socialization in military schools: Hidden curriculum and ethical dilemmas. Military Psychology Journal, 18(2), 103–117.
Krause, V., Rousset, C., & Schäfer, B. (2023). Uncovering paradoxes of compassion at work: a dyadic study of compassionate leader behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1112644
Kwaw-Nimeson, E., & Tian, Z. (2023). Institutional quality, foreign direct investment, and regional integration: Empirical evidence from CEN-SAD. SAGE Open, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221148389
Liao, S., Chen, J., & Yao, R. (2022). Positive gossip and psychological safety in organizations. Journal of Business Psychology, 37(3), 415–432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-021-09765-9
Makatita, M., Hendry, Y., Soselisa, C., Amin, M., Wattiheluw, S., & Amin, M. (2024). The influence of leadership style, organizational culture, policy implementation, and community participation on public service efficiency and employee satisfaction in Indonesian local government. WSSHS, 2(7), 1221–1236. https://doi.org/10.58812/wsshs.v2i07.1124
Mbulawa, S., & Chingoiro, S. (2024). Financial development, institutional quality and economic growth in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). International Journal of Business Ecosystem and Strategy, 6(1), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.36096/ijbes.v6i1.461
Megawati, M., Hamdat, A., & Aida, N. (2022). Examining Linkage Leadership Style, Employee Commitment, Work Motivation, Work Climate on Satisfaction and Performance. Golden Ratio of Human Resource Management, 2(1), 01–14. https://doi.org/10.52970/grhrm.v2i1.86
Moon, H., & Kang, S. (2024). Dialogic internal communication, psychological safety, and silence. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 29(1), 67–84. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-10-2022-0123
Nemr, M., & Liu, Y. (2021). The effect of ethical leadership at senior management levels on in-role work behaviors. Corporate Board: Role, Duties and Composition, 17(2), 8–17. https://doi.org/10.22495/cbv17i2art1
Rantakari, H. (2023). Simon says? Equilibrium obedience and the limits of authority. The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization. https://doi.org/10.1093/jleo/ewad026
Ripoll, M., & Schott, C. (2020). Loyalty, rule-bending, and public service motivation. International Public Management Journal, 23(1), 62–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2019.1619571
Said, J., Alam, M. M., Ramli, N. A., & Rafidi, M. (2022). Does institutional integrity promote accountability in the public sector? Evidence from Malaysia. International Journal of Ethics and Systems, 38(4), 527–543. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-03-2021-0060
Salama, N., El-Rahman, M., & Sholihin, M. (2020). Investigation into obedience in the face of unethical behavior. Psikohumaniora: Jurnal Penelitian Psikologi, 5(2), 207–218. https://doi.org/10.21580/pjpp.v5i2.7074
Sweeting, F., Cole, T., & Hills, P. (2022). Is the blue wall of silence a fallacy in cases of police sexual misconduct? International Journal of Police Science & Management, 24(3), 285–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/14613557221085504
Ungemah, J. (2021). Obedience. In Organizational Psychology and Behavior (pp. 115-C9.P60). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190061241.003.0009
Wang, C., & Lassi, N. (2023). From Poppy to Pill: A Comprehensive Strategy to Combat Illicit Synthetic Drug Production in Southeast Asia. Journal of International Development, 36(1), 710–727. https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3835
Wang, T., Witteloostuijn, A., & Heine, F. (2023). Morally motivated public service: An empirical examination of the moral theory of public service motivation. International Public Management Journal, 27(2), 165–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2023.2189334
Wu, G. (2022). Predicting the police code of silence in China: Does rural or urban setting matter? Policing: An International Journal, 46(1), 71–83. https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm-07-2022-0108
Yudiatmaja, W., Salomo, R., & Prasojo, E. (2023). Fostering innovative behavior of millennial public employee through leadership styles and organizational trust. SAGE Open, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231178545
Published
2025-07-06
How to Cite
Simaremare, R., Rini Rahmawati, & Ahmad Rifani. (2025). The Paradox of Organizational Behavior in Command Institutions: A Critical Study of Obedience, Integrity, and Loyalty in the Indonesian National Police. International Journal of Business and Quality Research, 3(03), 28-54. https://doi.org/10.63922/ijbqr.v3i03.2029
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