Team Gossip Prevents the Negative Effect of Abusive Supervision on Team Norms and Effectiveness

Abstract

Derived from team leaders’ role modeling effect, aggressive interpersonal norms have been hinted as a key mediating mechanism explaining the negative effects of team abusive supervision on team effectiveness. However, some evidence contradicts with the role modeling effect and the mediating mechanism of aggressive interpersonal norms, suggesting that team members may instead view the abusive team leader as a common enemy and thus refuse to emulate aggressive behaviors exemplified by the common enemy (i.e., the common enemy effect). We seek to solve the above theoretical tension and answer the following question: Why do team abusive supervision impede team effectiveness via generating aggressive interpersonal norms in some teams while not in other teams? To that end, we integrate self-categorization theory with social function theory of gossip to posit that team gossip, or the extent to which team members engage in negative gossip about the abusive team leader, serves as an important boundary condition. When team gossip is low, the role modeling effect prevails whereas when team gossip is high, the common enemy effect prevails. Our hypotheses regarding the role modeling effect and the common enemy effect are fully supported by a sample of 102 work teams using multi-wave, multi-source, and social network-based research designs. Theoretical and practical implications for abusive supervision and workplace gossip are also discussed.