Abusive supervisory reactions to coworker relationship conflict

This study extends research on abusive supervision by exploring how supervisor reports of conflict with their coworkers are related to abusive behaviors and resulting outcomes. We utilize research on displaced aggression, conflict, and leader–member exchange (LMX) theory to formulate our hypotheses. Results from two samples of 121 and 134 matched supervisor–subordinate dyads support the idea that supervisors experiencing coworker relationship conflict are likely to engage in abusive behaviors directed toward their subordinates and that LMX quality moderates this relationship. Additionally, abusive supervision was associated with decreased work effort and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). Results also indicate that in both samples abusive supervision mediates the relationships between supervisor reports of coworker relationship conflict and OCB, and in one sample mediates the association between supervisor-reported coworker relationship conflict and work effort.     

上级辱虐管理对员工建言行为的影响——来自制造型企业的证据

探讨辱虐管理与建言行为之间的关系,并研究组织自尊和个性控制点在以上关系中的中介和调节作用。以广东省两家大型制造型企业410名下属和111名主管为配对样本,采用验证性因子分析对模型进行检验,运用回归分析方法分析辱虐管理对员工建言行为的影响及其机制,研究组织自尊在其中的中介作用以及员工个性控制点的调节作用。实证结果表明,辱虐管理对员工抑制性建言行为和促进性建言行为均有显著的负向影响,组织自尊在两者之间起到完全中介作用;员工个性控制点对辱虐管理与组织自尊之间的关系具有显著的调节作用,员工个性控制点水平越高(越内控),辱虐管理对组织自尊的负面影响越小;员工个性控制点水平越低(越外控),辱虐管理对组织自尊的负面影响越大。     

Losing sleep: Examining the cascading effects of supervisors' experience of injustice on subordinates' psychological health

Abstract

In this paper, we identify two types of injustice as antecedents of abusive supervision and ultimately of subordinate psychological distress and insomnia. We examine distributive justice (an individual's evaluation of their input to output ratio compared to relevant others) and interactional injustice (the quality of interpersonal treatment received when procedures are implemented). Using a sample of Filipinos in a variety of occupations, we identify two types of injustice experienced by supervisors as stressors that provoke them to display abusive supervision to their subordinates. We examine two consequences of abusive supervision – subordinate psychological distress and insomnia. In addition, we identify two moderators of these relationships, namely, supervisor distress and subordinate self-esteem. We collected survey data from multiple sources including subordinates, their supervisors, and their partners. Data were obtained from 175 matched supervisor–subordinate dyads over a 6-month period, with subordinates' partners providing ratings of insomnia. Results of structural equation modelling analyses provided support for an indirect effects model in which supervisors' experience of unfair treatment cascades down the organization, resulting in subordinate psychological distress and, ultimately in their insomnia. In addition, results partially supported the proposed moderated relationships in the cascading model.     

Supervisor's HEXACO personality traits and subordinate perceptions of abusive supervision

Abusive supervision is detrimental to both subordinates and organizations. Knowledge about individual differences in personality related to abusive supervision may improve personnel selection and potentially reduce the harmful effects of this type of leadership. Using the HEXACO personality framework, we hypothesized that subordinates perceive leaders high on Agreeableness and Honesty-Humility as less abusive. In a sample of 107 unique supervisor-subordinate dyads that filled out the online questionnaire, we found that both Agreeableness and Honesty-Humility were negatively related to subordinate perceptions of abusive supervision. Our findings contribute to our understanding of the origins of abusive supervision and hopefully stimulate future research on supervisor personality and abusive supervision.     

不打不成器:挖掘辱虐管理的正效应、负效应和净效应

辱虐管理一直是负面组织行为的研究热点,近年呈现一些新趋势,特别是在崇尚“不打不成器”的本土情境下,挑战视之为“绝对恶魔”的呼声渐起。理论创始人Tepper也呼吁进行更多的研究来比较与整合其正面和负面效应。摒弃已有研究忽视辱虐管理主观目的性的研究惯例,从概念本源出发,整合感知控制理论与有限控制理论双重线索,探讨了辱虐管理与下属绩效的倒U型关系及其成因。453份配对样本的Fieller法和J-N法检验结果支持了倒U型假设,并揭示辱虐管理对下属自我努力有凹型影响,较大程度上促进下属的纠偏努力,对自我损耗有凸型影响,加剧损耗;正负效应的叠加导致倒U型净效应出现。研究结果有助于深化辱虐管理影响机制研究,也有助于丰富和拓展非线性方法研究。     

辱虐管理、心理安全感知与员工建言

基于中国组织情境中辱虐管理对员工建言行为影响的研究,认为企业上级领导实施辱虐管理,首先会削弱员工的心理安全感,继而影响员工建言行为,心理安全感知是辱虐管理与员工建言之间的关系的中介。此外,研究结论还表明,辱虐管理对心理安全感知的削弱作用会受到员工不确定性规避特质的影响,对于高不确定性规避的员工而言,企业上级领导实施辱虐管理,此类员工感受到的"心理不安全"更强。最后,以来自新疆维吾尔自治区2家石化企业中的258名员工和102名上级领导的配对数据验证了以上理论假设。     

The moderating effect of political skill on the demographic dissimilarity — Leader–member exchange quality relationship

LMX theorists have long argued that similarity between supervisors and subordinates will lead to the development of higher quality leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships. However, studies that have examined the impact of similarity on these relationships have found mixed results, suggesting the need for examining moderators. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of subordinates' political skill on the relationship between supervisor–subordinate racial similarity/dissimilarity (RSD) and the quality of LMX relationships. The sample consisted of 189 participants in a retail service organization. The results indicate that political skill is a significant moderator, and plays a substantial role in LMX relationship quality for racially dissimilar supervisor–subordinate dyads. The strengths and limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Sins of the parents: Self-control as a buffer between supervisors' previous experience of family undermining and subordinates' perceptions of abusive supervision

Drawing upon social learning theory, the intergenerational transmission of violence hypothesis, and research on self-control, we develop a model of the relationships among previous experiences of family undermining, self-control, and abusive supervision. We tested the model with data obtained from supervisor–employee matched pairs in Study 1 and matched triads in Study 2. Results revealed that: 1) supervisors who experienced higher levels of family undermining (whether reported by the immediate supervisor or a sibling) during childhood are more likely to engage in abusive supervisory behaviors as adults; and 2) this relationship is moderated such that it is stronger for supervisors with low self-control. Overall, our results highlight the role of self-control in mitigating the impact of supervisors' previous experiences of family undermining on subordinate perceptions of abusive supervision, even after controlling for previously established antecedents.     

Perceived intent of supervisor as a moderator of the relationships between abusive supervision and counterproductive work behaviours

This study examined the relationship between perceived intent of supervisors and subordinates' counterproductive responses to abusive supervision. Data were collected in two waves approximately one month apart from 268 full-time employees from the United States and in various occupations. Two forms of perceived intent of abusive supervision were assessed: hostile intent (i.e. abuse believed to be intended to cause harm to the subordinate) and motivational intent (i.e. abuse believed to be intended to motivate good performance from the subordinate). In general, subordinates who reported greater frequency of abusive supervision of both types at Wave 1 were more likely to engage in counterproductive work behaviours (CWBs) at Wave 2 than those who reported less abuse. As hypothesized, abusive supervision was more strongly associated with CWBs when perceived hostile intent was high rather than low. Contrary to expectations, abusive supervision was also more strongly associated with CWBs when perceived motivational intent was high rather than low. Our findings show that abuse by supervisors can result in CWBs by subordinates even if those subordinates believe that the abuse is intended to be motivational.     

效忠主管与员工工作绩效的关系:反馈寻求行为和权力距离的影响

效忠主管一直是华人组织经久不衰的议题,尽管已有文献认为员工效忠主管有助于提升其工作绩效,然而关于效忠主管通过怎样的具体机制来影响员工工作绩效却并未得到系统的阐释。本文以14家企业的360名员工为样本,探讨了效忠主管对工作绩效的影响机制,尤其是研究员工反馈寻求行为在其中的中介作用及员工权力距离的调节作用。分析结果表明,效忠主管对员工工作绩效、反馈寻求行为都有显著的正向影响;反馈寻求行为在效忠主管与工作绩效关系中起完全中介作用。另外,员工的权力距离负向调节了效忠主管与反馈寻求行为的正相关关系,即员工的权力距离越低,两者的正向相关关系越强。     

Evidence for a curvilinear relationship between abusive supervision and creativity in South Korea

Applying activation theory, this study examined the possibility of a curvilinear relationship between abusive supervision and employee creativity. Using survey responses of 203 subordinate–supervisor dyads in South Korea, hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated a curvilinear (inverted U-shaped) relationship between a supervisor's abusive behaviors and an employee's creative performance. Specifically, employees exhibited more creativity when abusive supervision was at a moderate level rather than at very low or very high levels. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Exploring the role of supervisor trust in the associations between multiple sources of relationship conflict and organizational citizenship behavior

We develop and test a model that builds directly on social exchange theory to predict different roles for supervisor trust in the relationships between organizational citizenship behavior and relationship conflict occurring between supervisors and subordinates and between peers. Specifically, we posit that the association between citizenship behavior and relationship conflict between employees and supervisors is mediated by supervisor trust, while the association between citizenship behaviors and relationship conflict occurring between peers is moderated by supervisor trust. We test our dual role for supervisor trust in a field study of 160 supervisor–employee dyads. Results support the different roles played by supervisor trust. We close by discussing the implications of our results for theory and practice in the relationship conflict and citizenship domains.     

When do subordinates' emotion-regulation strategies matter? Abusive supervision,subordinates' emotional exhaustion,and work withdrawal

Drawing upon conservation of resources theory, this research examines the linkage between abusive supervision and work withdrawal from a stress perspective, focusing on the moderating role of subordinates' emotion-regulation strategies and the mediating role of emotional exhaustion. Survey data included 254 ranked officers in 55 workgroups of the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense. The HLM results suggest that subordinates' emotional exhaustion mediated the relationship between abusive supervision and work withdrawal only when subordinates engaged in high-frequency expressive suppression or low-frequency cognitive reappraisal. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Leadership and stress: A meta-analytic review

Stress has been implicated as an important determinant of leadership functioning. Conversely, the behavior of leaders has long been argued to be a major factor in determining the stress levels of followers. Yet despite the widespread acknowledgement that stress and leadership are linked, there has been no systematic attempt to organize and summarize these literatures. In the present, we meta-analytically review the relationship between three leadership constructs (transformational leadership, leader-member exchange, and abusive supervision) and stress and burnout. Our analyses confirm that leader stress influences leader behavior and that leadership behaviors and leader-follower relationships are significant determinants of stress and burnout in subordinates. We build on these results to suggest new avenues for research in this domain as well as discussing how these results can inform practice with regards to leader development.     

Righting a wrong: Retaliation on a voodoo doll symbolizing an abusive supervisor restores justice

When a subordinate receives abusive treatment from a supervisor, a natural response is to retaliate against the supervisor. Although retaliation is dysfunctional and should be discouraged, we examine the potential functional role retaliation plays in terms of alleviating the negative consequences of abusive supervision on subordinate justice perceptions. Based on the notion that retaliation following mistreatment can restore justice for victims, we propose a model whereby retaliation following abusive supervision alleviates the negative effect of abusive supervision on subordinate justice perceptions. In two experimental studies (Study 1 and 2), whereby we manipulated abusive supervision and subordinate symbolic retaliation—in particular, harming a voodoo doll that represents the abusive supervisor—we found general support for our predictions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The Influence of Abusive Supervisors on Followers' Organizational Citizenship Behaviours: The Hidden Costs of Abusive Supervision

In this paper, we identified an expanded array of mediators including interactional justice, organizational‐based self‐esteem, and the meaning of work, which link abusive supervision to two organizational citizenship behaviours – prosocial silence and prosocial voice. Data from 175 employee–supervisor dyads in the Philippines were collected. Results of structural equation modelling revealed that abusive supervision was significantly negatively associated with followers' perceptions of interactional justice, which in turn was negatively associated with supervisor‐rated prosocial voice behaviours. In addition, abusive supervision was negatively associated with followers' beliefs that they are engaged in meaningful work and with organizational‐based self‐esteem, which in turn negatively influenced self‐rated prosocial silence. The discussion focuses on the implications of the hidden costs of abusive supervision in organizations.     

The bad boss takes it all: How abusive supervision and leader–member exchange interact to influence employee silence

Abusive supervision is a dysfunctional leadership behavior that adversely affects its targets and the organization as a whole. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, the present research expands our knowledge on its destructive impact. Specifically, we propose a moderated mediation model wherein abusive supervision predicts subordinate's silence behavior through emotional exhaustion, with leader–member exchange (LMX) acting as the contextual condition. Two-wave data collected from 152 employees in the service industry in Macau supported our hypothesized model. We found that abused subordinates resort to remain silent in the workplace due to their feelings of emotional exhaustion. Further, the presence of high LMX makes the adverse impact of abusive supervision even worse. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. We also offer several promising directions for future research.     

Supervisor undermining and submissive behavior: Shame resilience theory perspective

This study investigates the underlying mechanism between supervisor undermining and employee submissive behavior by proposing and testing a serial mediation moderation model. We suggest shame and selfcriticism as an explanatory mechanism between supervisor undermining and submissive behavior, and employee resilience as a coping mechanism between feelings of shame and self-criticism. We employed Shame Resilience Theory to explain the proposed model that states how supervisor undermining triggers shame among victim subordinates, which turns into self-criticism and ultimately manifests as submissive behaviors. We tested our proposed model on 251 responses from service sector employees in a time-lagged (four intervals) design. We examined different alternative models to test the serial mediation model. The results proved that supervisor undermining leads to employee submissive behavior and shame, and self-criticism serially mediates this relationship. The moderation hypothesis was also proved. Limitations and future research directions along with theoretical and practical implications are given at the end.     

When do subordinates commit to their supervisors? Different effects of perceived supervisor integrity and support on Chinese and American employees

While subordinates' commitment to the supervisor is highly desirable, the routes to achieve this might vary in different cultures. Drawing on the theories of leader–member exchange (LMX) and cultural logic, this study posits different interaction effects for subordinates' perceived supervisor integrity and support on commitment to the supervisor in cultures with different expectations of personal integrity. The results indicate that an additive effect can be observed for American subordinates: perceived supervisor support increases commitment to the supervisor to a greater extent when a high degree of supervisor integrity is also perceived. In contrast, a compensatory effect can be observed for Chinese subordinates: perceived supervisor support increases commitment to the supervisor more when a lower degree of supervisor integrity is perceived. Our findings shed light on cultural differences in the psychological mechanisms of employees' relationship with their supervisors. Theoretical and practical implications for the effectiveness of Asian leadership are discussed.     

The role of guanxi in buyer–supplier relationships in Chinese small- and medium-sized enterprises – a resource-based perspective

This paper examines the role of guanxi (personal relationships or connections) in buyer–supplier relationships in Chinese small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), through exploratory research that gained access to companies actually using guanxi. The resource-based view provided a systematic approach for analysing the role of guanxi in terms of its potential to be a source of sustained competitive advantage. Business guanxi connections were identified as possessing the potential to be considered an organisational resource. This study identified several valuable attributes of guanxi at the organisational level. However, the guanxi-based advantage can only be sustained under certain conditions. SMEs should create an organisational environment that encourages their employees to actively establish and maintain guanxi connections within the company and beyond. However, companies in China need to recognise that firms that possess superior technological skills or capabilities have a stronger bargaining power, as they are able to deliver quality at competitive prices over the long run.