The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction in the Relationship between Perceived Union Instrumentality and Workplace Deviance: Does Industrial Relations Climate Matter?

Abstract

The harmful effects of workplace deviance constitute a significant concern on a global scale. However, it is alarming the scope it has assumed among Nigerian academics. This study aimed to investigate the influence of perceived union instrumentality on workplace deviance and whether the industrial relations climate can moderate the relationship. The study drew from exit-voice and social exchange theories to achieve the research objectives. In a cross-sectional design, data from 211 academics from federal polytechnics in Northwestern Nigeria were analysed using Partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicated that perceived union instrumentality significantly and negatively affected workplace deviance. As expected, job satisfaction was found to mediate the relationship between union instrumentality and workplace deviance. Similarly, the industrial relations climate was found to moderate the relationship significantly and negatively between union instrumentality and workplace deviance. The study bridges significant theoretical gaps in the literature by using exit-voice theory and social exchange theory to explain employees’ deviant behaviour. Moreover, exploring the mediation mechanism by which perceived union instrumentality influences workplace deviance helps close critical knowledge gaps in labour relations and deviant workplace behaviour literature. The result suggests that Government and management of Nigeria's higher education institutions need to address the rising incidence of workplace deviance by accommodating the demands of labour unions and fostering harmonious labour relations. However, the cross-sectional design of this study and the fact that only federal polytechnics were used as samples limit the findings' generalizability. Other implications and recommendations for future research were discussed.