Social Capital—Can It Weaken the Influence of Abusive Supervision on Employee Behavior?

Abstract

The travel industry has been severely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The operating pressure on enterprises has sharply increased, leading to the prominent phenomenon of abusive supervision. Managers employ this management method so that employees perceive work pressure as motivation to work harder and improve their performance. Employees may adopt the behavior of defensive silence to protect themselves from abusive supervision, which can subsequently affect employee behavior. However, social capital and relationships may lessen this effect. This study analyzed survey data on 475 workers from the Chinese tourism service industry to examine the mediating role of workers’ defensive silence under abusive supervision, employee behavior, and the moderating role of social capital. The results showed that abusive supervision does not promote employee performance but hinders employee growth. Employees’ defensive silence also affects employee behavior and has a partially mediating role in the relationship between abusive supervision and employee behavior. Social capital can mitigate the negative impact of abusive supervision on employee behavior. This study theoretically expands the applicable scope of employee silence as a mediating variable and social capital as a moderating variable. It is helpful for managers to change their negative leadership style, follow the suggestions of employees, pay attention to the organizational atmosphere, and enhance their team cohesion.