Abusive Supervision Research Articles

Combined effects of abusive supervision, willpower and waypower on employees’ task performance and helping behavior, through quality of work life

PurposeExtending the efforts of previous scholars, this study examines how abusive supervision undermines employees’ ability to meet performance expectations and propensity to engage in helping behavior. Specifically, we investigate a hitherto unexplored mediating role of quality of work life (QWL) in this relationship. We further suggest that employees’ psychological resources, namely willpower and waypower, act as protective shields against this harmful process.Design/methodology/approachWe tested the proposed hypotheses using multisource (self- and supervisor-rated) three-wave time-lagged data (N = 185) collected from employees and their supervisors in eight organizations that operate in the service sector of Pakistan.FindingsThe findings corroborate our predicted hypotheses. The results indicate that employees' exposure to abusive supervision deteriorates their quality of work life (QWL), hindering their ability to deliver expected performance and tendency to help other colleagues. However, this negative process is less pronounced for employees who possess sufficient psychological resources of willpower and waypower.Practical implicationsThis study provides valuable insights to organizations by explicating the process that undermines employees’ ability to channel their energies into performance-enhancing activities when faced with humiliation from their supervisors.Originality/valueThis study details three previously unexplored factors that explain how and when abusive behavior steers service sector employees away from meeting performance expectations and assisting colleagues, via thwarting their quality of work life.

How does paternalistic leadership evoke abusive supervision? The mediating role of territorial behaviour

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of paternalistic leadership on abusive supervision through territorial behaviour. Drawing on trait activation theory, we conducted two experimental studies: Study 1 involved 421 frontline employees in China, whereas Study 2 collected data in two waves from 248 employees in the hospitality industry. The results indicate a positive association between authoritative leadership and abusive supervision. However, this relationship is moderated by benevolent and moral leadership, which jointly mediate this effect through territorial behaviour. Specifically, under conditions of authoritative leadership, territorial behaviour is more pronounced in the absence of benevolent and moral leadership, diminishing when these leadership styles are robust. Similarly, consistent territorial behaviour exacerbates abusive supervision in the absence of benevolent and moral leadership but diminishes when these forms of leadership are strong. This study discusses the theoretical and practical implications for management and proposes avenues for future research.

Religiosity as a buffer against the impact of abusive supervision on employee unethical behavior: a moderated mediation model

PurposeThis research seeks to examine the mitigating effect of religiosity on the relationship between abusive supervision and unethical behavior in employees, with moral disengagement serving as a mediating factor. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the study proposes an overarching moderated mediation framework to analyze this complex dynamic.Design/methodology/approachThe testing of the model was based on hierarchical data obtained from 70 work units in services sector. Within this framework, 70 supervisors evaluated the unethical conduct of employees, while 700 employees assessed the abusive supervision they experienced and reported on their own moral disengagement and religiosity. For the analysis of both the measurement and the hypothesized models, multilevel modeling techniques in the Mplus software were utilized.FindingsThe study's findings indicate a direct positive link between abusive supervision and employees' unethical behavior, with moral disengagement mediating this relationship. Furthermore, the research discovered that abusive supervision leads to unethical behavior in employees through moral disengagement only in instances where their religiosity is low.Originality/valueThis research delves deeper by elucidating the role of moral disengagement in the dynamic between abusive supervision and unethical behavior. Diverging from prior research, this study uniquely highlights the moderating role of religiosity, showing its potential to weaken the impact of abusive supervision on unethical behavior in employees through moral disengagement.

No More the Nice Guy: Coping with Abusive Supervision through Service Sabotage Behaviours

‘Atithi Devo Bhav’, implying that guests must be treated as Gods, is the philosophical belief of Indian society indicating the importance of treating the customers with utmost respect and courtesy. The current study examines service sabotage behaviours by utilizing time-lagged method to collect data in three waves from 332 employees from Indian hotel industry. The study highlights the effects of abusive supervision on the employees who perceive disrespect, public humiliation or rude supervisory behaviours towards them as breach of psychological contract, and they retaliate by displaying deviant workplace behaviour such as service sabotage. The unique proposition of the research is to investigate the sequential mediating role of psychological contract violation and retaliation intention on the relationship between abusive supervision and service sabotage. The research utilizes psychological contract theory and frustration–aggression theory to draw logical inferences from the findings. Findings indicate that when employees perceive mistreatment or injustice, they experience psychological contract violation that instigates an urge to retaliate against the unfair treatment by engaging in negative service behaviours, for example, sabotage. Therefore, the hospitality organizations must implement practices and processes to take care of any unjust, unfair or hostile behaviour at play in the organization, as the success of the industry is dependent on the service quality and frontline employees’ encounters with the customer. The study provides some interesting and useful managerial and theoretical implications.

Abusive supervision and safety behavior in high-risk industries: The moderating role of trait mindfulness

Drawing on social exchange theory, we proposed a dual-stage moderated mediation framework to examine the impact of abusive supervision on employee safety behavior in high-risk industries. We conducted a survey of 652 frontline employees from 32 chemical establishments in southwest China using scales assessing abusive supervision, burnout, employee safety behavior, and trait mindfulness. Our results revealed that abusive supervision had detrimental effects on employee safety behavior, with burnout partially mediating this relationship. Trait mindfulness emerged as a mitigating factor that attenuated the negative influence of abusive supervision and subsequent burnout on employee safety behavior. The findings shed light on the harmful consequences of abusive supervision within the transitional Chinese chemical industry landscape and provide valuable insights for enhancing leadership quality and promoting mindfulness-based employee initiatives.

Unraveling the dynamics: exploring the nexus between abusive supervision, counterproductive work behaviors and the moderating influence of mindfulness

PurposeRelying on the affective events theory, this study conceptualizes abusive supervision as a micro-affective event and tests a multilevel moderated mediation arguing that abusive behaviors from the supervisor trigger negative affective reactions that, in turn, will enhance the likelihood of counterproductive work behaviors (interpersonal and organizational). We further propose that mindfulness will shape how employees react to abusive behaviors from supervisors.Design/methodology/approachA daily diary study conducted for five consecutive days was developed with Portuguese working adults (N = 176*5 = 880).FindingsThe multilevel findings showed that abusive behaviors triggered negative affect and this, in turn, promoted both forms of counterproductive work behaviors. The indirect effect regarding interpersonal counterproductive work behavior was moderated by mindfulness in such a way that the indirect effect was stronger for those who scored lower on mindfulness (versus higher levels). The indirect effect on organizational counterproductive work behavior was not significantly moderated by mindfulness.Practical implicationsThe examination of mindfulness as a moderating factor contributes significantly to management by delineating practical strategies to assist employees in effectively managing micro-events involving abusive behaviors from supervisors. Consequently, these findings may inform the development of research-backed strategies aimed at mitigating the affective and behavioral repercussions of an abusive supervisor.Originality/valueThe inclusion of mindfulness in the model is an added value.

Moderating Effects of Dark Triad on the Relationships of Mobbing and Abusive Supervision with Outcomes

Moderating Effects of Dark Triad on the Relationships of Mobbing and Abusive Supervision with Outcomes

I Did Something Wrong: How and When Leaders Ruminate and Recover from Their Abusive Supervision

I Did Something Wrong: How and When Leaders Ruminate and Recover from Their Abusive Supervision

I Never Know What Happen:The Impact Of Abusive Supervision Inconsistency on Leader-Directed Deviance

I Never Know What Happen:The Impact Of Abusive Supervision Inconsistency on Leader-Directed Deviance

Unraveling the Paradox of Abusive Supervision: How It Ignites Knowledge Hiding and Knowledge Sharing

Unraveling the Paradox of Abusive Supervision: How It Ignites Knowledge Hiding and Knowledge Sharing

Why Abusive Supervision Pervades College Sports: A Game Theory Model About Games

Why Abusive Supervision Pervades College Sports: A Game Theory Model About Games

Am I the Only One Angry? How Collective Anger Shapes the Effect of Abusive Supervision on Voice

Am I the Only One Angry? How Collective Anger Shapes the Effect of Abusive Supervision on Voice

Resisting together or displaced aggressing? How abusive supervision climate affects team member exchange and subordinates' organizational citizenship towards teammates

PurposeIntegrating balance theory and social identify theory, this paper proposes a multilevel model to explain how abusive supervision climate of team impacts the relationship among team members as well as subordinates’ behavior towards their teammates, especially organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted to collect two-wave and multi-source data from 398 employees nested in 106 teams from Chinese high-technology companies. Hierarchical linear modeling was conducted to examine the theoretical model.FindingsThe results indicate that there is an inverted U-shape association between abusive supervision climate and subordinates’ OCB towards coworker; team member exchange (TMX) mediates their inverted U-shaped link. Furthermore, we confirm that coworker support plays a vitally moderating role upon the curvilinear link of abusive supervision climate (ASC)–TMX; specifically, when employees perceive low coworker support, negative relations between ASC and TMX will be stronger.Originality/valueThis study identifies team members’ advantageous and adverse relational response to shared threat of ASC and examines coworker support as a moderator of ASC, which provides valuable insights into when and why employees tend to cooperate with their teammates to jointly confront their leader’s abuse and highlights the importance of coworkers, thus enabling organizations to deeply understand the wider influences of ASC on interpersonal relationship between team members.

Abusive Supervision as Predictor of Perceived Stress and Cyberloafing at Work

The increasing prevalence of Internet use in the recent years has led to a growing interest among researchers on cyberloafing behaviors. In general, cyberloafing at work is defined as the employees’ voluntary usage of the Internet for personal purposes. The previous research has shown its link with individual and organizational outcomes. This study in particular examines the effects of abusive supervision and perceived stress on cyberloafing behaviors among employees. In addition, it investigates whether perceived stress mediates this relationship. The sample consisted of 265 employees working at various sectors. They participated in an online survey, and filled out a questionnaire consisting of items that assess abusive supervision, perceived stress and cyberloafing behaviors at workplace. The results showed that abusive supervision positively predicts employees' cyberloafing behaviors It was also revealed that supervisor’s abusive behaviors predict greater levels of perceived stress among employees. However, the experience of stress did not play a mediating role in the relationship between abusive supervision and cyberloafing. This study contributes to a better understanding of the effects of leaders’ misbehaviors on employees’ psychological well-being and counterproductive behaviors at work. It also provides suggestions for managing with workplace mistreatment.

When Charismatic Leadership Loses its Luster: Examining the Interactive Effect of Charismatic Leadership and Abusive Supervision on Follower Prosocial Motivation and Citizenship Behavior

We develop a multilevel framework that examines the simultaneous co-occurrence of charismatic leadership and abusive supervision and how they jointly diminish followers’ prosocial motivation. Furthermore, we tested a mediated moderation model to examine whether followers’ prosocial motivation mediates the link between charismatic leadership and followers’ citizenship behavior under high and low levels of abusive supervision. Results from a field study based upon 296 employees and 44 supervisors in 44 teams across three organizations provided support for the predicted relationships. Charismatic leadership positively influenced followers’ prosocial motivation when abusive supervision was low but not high. Furthermore, followers’ prosocial motivation mediated the link between charismatic leadership and followers’ organizational citizenship behavior when abusive supervision was low but not high. We discuss theoretical implications for abusive supervision's neutralizing effect, identify avenues to advance charismatic leadership and prosocial motivation research, and provide recommendations for practitioners to cultivate an environment that nurtures employees’ prosocial motivation.

The Influence of Leadership Dynamics and Workplace Stress on Employee Performance in the Entrepreneurial Sector and the Moderating Role of Organizational Support

Employee performance is crucial to the success of organizations, particularly in the entrepreneurial sector. Various factors, such as abusive supervision, job stress, turnover intention, and agile leadership, play a significant role in determining performance outcomes. This study aims to evaluate how perceived organizational support moderates the effects of these factors on employee performance in public firms in the UAE. Data were gathered from a valid sample of 211 respondents. The analysis employed measurement and structural model assessments using Smart PLS version 4.0. The results validated the internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the latent constructs. Structural equation modeling indicated significant effects of agile leadership, abusive supervision, and job stress on employee performance. Furthermore, perceived organizational support was found to significantly moderate the relationships between agile leadership and employee performance, abusive supervision and employee performance, and job stress and employee performance. Based on these findings, several policy recommendations were made for public sector firms in the UAE, particularly highlighting the importance of supportive leadership practices in enhancing employee performance within the entrepreneurial sector.

Moderating Effect Of Employee Service Quality And Mediating Impact Of Experiential Marketing in UAE Entrepreneurial Sector

Considersing the organizational success, employees performance has been accepted as among the fundamental role players. However, several organizational factors like abusive supervision, job stress, turnover intention, and agile leadership have been accepted as among the most critical determinants of such performance outcomes. The objective of this research is to investigate the moderating effect of perceived organizational support on the relationships between abusive supervision, job stress, turnover intention, and agile leadership with employee performance in public firms in the UAE. A valid sample of 211 respondents from the public sector firms in UAE has been collected. The present study applies the measurement model and structural model assessment using the Smart PLS version 4.0. The findings confirm the presence of the internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the latent constructs when examined through their relative items. Moreover, the structural equation modelling reveals that there is a significant impact of agile leadership, abusive supervision, and job stress on the employee performance among the public firms of UAE. Additionally, the findings state that there is a significant moderating effect of perceived organizational support on the relationship between agile leadership and employee performance, between abusive supervision and employee performance, and between job stress and employee performance, respectively. Based upon the given findings, several policy implications have also been suggested for the policymakers specifically at the public firms in UAE.

Impact of Abusive Supervision on Innovative Work Behavior in Turkey: Who Is More Affected?

Researchers have focused on the dark side of managers in recent years, wherein studies discuss the effects of abusive supervision styles on employees and organizations. This research aims to elucidate the influence of abusive supervision on innovative work behaviors of new and former employees. The study focuses on two different employee characteristics. The first group includes the employees with a two-year or less tenure. The second group includes employees with a five-year or more tenure. A simple random sampling technique is used to determine the sample. The research sample includes 345 employees in a manufacturing firm in Istanbul, Turkey. According to regression analysis results, abusive supervision negatively affects innovative work behavior. In addition, abusive supervision affects the innovative work behaviors of new employees more than those of former employees. The findings are consistent with the social exchange theory, conservation of resources theory, and power approach. The research findings are important in demonstrating how destructive abusive supervision affects new employees. In conclusion, suggestions are presented for companies, managers, and researchers.

Does high employee performance trigger abusive supervision? Evidence from hotel businesses

ABSTRACT Drawing on the social comparison and moral exclusion perspectives and the social interactionist theory of aggression, this study investigates how employee performance affects abusive supervision through supervisor envy and perceived threat to hierarchy. Data were collected from employees in four- and five-star hotels in various provinces of Türkiye. The research hypotheses were tested by using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling. The findings show that high employee performance significantly increases supervisor envy and threat to hierarchy. In turn, supervisor envy and threat to hierarchy significantly increase abusive supervision. Finally, supervisor envy and threat to hierarchy also mediate the impact of employee performance on abusive supervision. Given the lack of previous evidence on these paradoxical outcomes of high employee performance, the present study contributes to the business ethics and hospitality literatures.

Moderating Effect of Perceived Organizational Support on the Relationship Between Employee Performance and Its Determinants: A Case of Entrepreneurial Firms in UAE

Considering the organizational success, employees performance has been accepted as among the fundamental role players. However, several organizational factors like abusive supervision, job stress, turnover intention, and agile leadership have been accepted as among the most critical determinants of such performance outcomes. The objective of this study is to assess the moderating effect of perceived organizational support on the relationships among abusive supervision, job stress, turnover intention, and agile leadership on employee performance in public firms in the UAE. A valid sample of 211 respondents from the public sector firms in UAE has been collected. The present study applies the measurement model and structural model assessment using the Smart PLS version 4. The findings confirm the presence of the internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the latent constructs when examined through their relative items. Moreover, the structural equation modelling reveals that there is a significant impact of agile leadership, abusive supervision, and job stress on the employee performance among the public firms of UAE. Additionally, the findings state that there is a significant moderating effect of perceived organizational support on the relationship between agile leadership and employee performance, between abusive supervision and employee performance, and between job stress and employee performance, respectively. Based upon the given findings, several policy implications have also been suggested for the policymakers specifically at the public firms in UAE.