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。

Spare the rod and spoil the child:Exploring the positive,negative and net effects of abusive supervision

Following Tepper′s seminal article,a multitude of studies have probed the deleterious effects of abusive supervision on subordinate task performance.Although some scholars have discussed the possible positive consequence of abusive supervision in the Asia-Pacific region,where the adage“spare the rod and spoil the child”appears to have been a consistent and dominant philosophy in many enterprises,there are still theoretical and methodological issues that need to be addressed before a systematical framework for these phenomena can be constructed.The purpose of this study is to examine the positive,negative and net effects of abusive supervision on subordinate task performance.While previous research has only focused on the objective factors and neglected subjective factors that influence abusive supervision,this study investigates supervisors′subjective intentions of abusive supervision.This paper differentiates between abusive supervision and constructions designed as aspects of workplace aggression that imply intended efforts to cause injury.Thus,we propose that abusive supervision is intended to correct the deviation.Therefore,abusive supervision is essentially a more extreme and intense form of negative feedback.From the perspective of cybernetics,perceptual control theory and limited control theory are introduced as the primary line of theoretical research.So,this study proposes that abusive supervision simultaneously initiates two parallel mechanisms.First,based on perceptual control theory,in which behaviors are driven by deviations and errors,abusive supervision drives individual efforts,but the increment decreases,and turning point occurs in areas with a high extent of abusive supervision(Hypothesis 2).Second,based on the limited control theory of limited self-control resources and accelerated depletion,abusive supervision accelerates self-depletion(Hypothesis 3).According to the nonlinear additive principle proposed by Haans,Pieters and He,the inverted U-shaped curve is the superposition of two latent countervailing forces producing an inverted u-shaped net effect of abusive supervision on subordinates′task performance(Hypothesis 1).To examine these hypotheses,research was conducted in a coal washery in China,an industrial mining company where abusive supervision is common.Survey data were collected by supervisor-subordinate dyads.The subordinates returned measurement feedback on abusive supervision,self-effort,self-depletion and control variables,while the subordinate performance was measured by the direct supervisor.The questionnaires were completed by 453 workshop employees and 98 of their direct supervisors.To test the three hypotheses of this paper,all three steps of the(inverted)U-shaped relationship test proposed by Lind and Mehlum were followed,as well as the Fieller method and the Johnson-Neyman technique.These results provide support for our hypotheses that abusive supervision has an inverted u-shaped effect on subordinates′task performance and a concave effect on their self-effort,which significantly promotes their efforts to correct deviations.It has a convex effect on self-depletion and aggravates depletion.The theoretical and practical implications of this result are as follow.First,when the extent of abusive supervision is within the“low→medium”range,the perceived performance promotion motives of the subordinates play a prime role.In particular,the subordinates will try to adjust and modify their behaviors according to the perceived deviation,and invest more time and energy in acting towards the desired state of the organization in order to recover from the unfavorable situation.In the“medium→high”range,subordinates′perceived injury initiation motives play a prominent role.Under the control of the ego depletion framework,subordinates are more likely to escalate commitment and continue to increase self-effort until they exceed the self-regulating resources threshold and give up completely.Therefore,the turning point of self-effort occurs only in the“medium→high”range of abusive supervision.This conclusion not only modifies the theory of perceptual control but also expands it.Perceptual control is limited when negative feedback is excessive and breaks through the“threshold”of perceptual control.Consequently,instead of regulating their own behaviors,individual behaviors will become out of control due to self-regulation failure and diverge from organizational goals to a greater extent.Secondly,when abusive supervision occurs continuously,the subordinates′perception of positive intentions contained in the supervisors′motivation gradually decreases,and their sensitivity to malicious fault finding and interpersonal provocation progressively increases.After a long period of self-control,the subordinates′self-regulating resource depletion will result in the phenomenon of selfcontrol failure,which in turn leads to the self-depletion and accelerates ego depletion of the subordinate.This outcome enriches and expands the analysis of the self-depletion mechanism under limited self-control.On the one hand,it indicates that the consumption of self-control resources are not only used to restrain negative emotions such as retaliate feelings,but also include the positive emotion of regaining the sense of control through efforts.The two resource output channels are parallel;thereby,accelerating the depletion.On the other hand,in the context of abusive supervision,once the self-regulating mechanism is damaged,the hostile attribution and the subordinates′sensitivity to information irrelevant to work will increase,and the purpose of deviation correction will be distorted by prolonged abusive supervision.Finally,considering the two sides of abusive supervision,“moderate”abusive supervision is a great challenge of leaders′management skills and the relationship between supervisors and subordinates.Thus,not only do we recommend that supervisors not adopt this leadership style but that they also dispel the abusive supervision.Mindfulness training should be strengthened for supervisors to explore more appropriate ways to correct errors.This is an effective method for subordinates to prevent abusive supervision and to handle it through operational balance,improved performance,and enhancing leaders′dependence on employees′power.When selfdepletion occurs,take the initiative to communicate with the supervisor or seek support from higher-level leaders,and regain selfcontrol resources in a timely manner.