Stronger together: Understanding when and why group ethical voice inhibits group abusive supervision

Abstract

SummaryIn this research, we integrate social impact theory (SIT) and social cognitive theory (SCT) to examine how group ethical voice, as a form of social influence, reduces group abusive supervision. Drawing on SIT, we hypothesize that the strength of this relationship is contingent on the group's power, size, and social distance from the group leader (i.e., interaction frequency). Results from data collected over two time periods from 521 employees in 98 work groups (Study 1) reveal that group ethical voice reduces group abusive supervision, controlling for general group voice and group performance. Furthermore, we found that the relationship between group ethical voice and group abusive supervision was strongest when the group is larger, powerful, and interacts frequently with the group leader. These findings are replicated in Study 2, a time‐lagged study of employees across three time periods. Study 2 also shows that the interactive effects of group ethical voice, group power, and social distance (but not group size) on abusive supervision are mediated by leader reflective moral attentiveness. Specifically, in powerful and socially proximal groups, group ethical voice reduces abusive supervision by fostering greater reflective moral attentiveness in group leaders.