Interpersonal Antecedents Research Articles

When the victims fight back: the influence of workplace ostracism on employee knowledge sabotage behavior

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the negative interpersonal antecedents, emotional mediators and boundary conditions of knowledge sabotage behavior.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from 275 Chinese employees using convenience sampling and snowball sampling across three stages. Subsequently, the authors used both hierarchical regression and bootstrap methods to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe results confirmed that workplace ostracism has positive effects on employee knowledge sabotage behavior both directly and via employee anger. In addition, the authors found that employee bottom-line mentality (BLM) moderates not only the direct effect of workplace ostracism on employee anger but also the indirect effect of employee anger in this context. Employee conscientiousness moderates only the direct effect of workplace ostracism on employee anger and does not moderate the indirect effect.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study not only explores the influence of workplace ostracism on employee knowledge sabotage behavior for the first time but also elucidates the underlying emotional mechanisms (anger) and boundary conditions (employee BLM and conscientiousness) by which workplace ostracism influences employee knowledge sabotage behavior, thus deepening the understanding of how knowledge sabotage emerges in organizations.

Interpersonal psychological well-being among coach-athlete-sport psychology practitioner triads

The importance of psychological well-being (PWB) is widely acknowledged in global policy and has important ramifications for health, performance, and engagement among sport performers. Despite this compelling knowledge, little is known about PWB in close sport relationships. We aimed to explore the interpersonal antecedents, transfer mechanisms, and outcomes of PWB within and among athletes, coaches, and sport psychology practitioners (SPPs). Underpinned by an interpretative paradigm, we conducted individual and triadic interviews with three coach-athlete-SPP triads from individual sports and analyzed data using abductive reasoning applied to reflexive thematic analysis. The themes we constructed relating to antecedents of PWB were situational properties of stressors, factors relating to the organization, shared values and characteristics, and interpersonal resilience. PWB was transferred among the triad via interpersonal coping, emotional contagion, and social appraising. PWB was cyclic in nature and, thus, we constructed themes (i.e., psychological safety, meaningful experiences of growth and development, and relational dynamics), which represented those factors that acted as both antecedents and outcomes. Our findings transcend individual understandings of PWB in sport by representing the first interpersonal examination of PWB among coach-athlete-SPP triads. This shift is crucial for informing how performers can collectively evaluate and manage PWB in the context of their close sport relationships. These findings implicate two primary recommendations: first, we recommend that researchers extend conceptual understanding of PWB among those in close sport relationships. Second, organizations and practitioners are encouraged to consider how mentoring and relationship-building schemes can be tailored within wider education and support programs to bolster PWB among athletes, coaches, and practitioners.

Perfectionistic concerns and binge eating in mother-daughter dyads: An actor-partner interdependence model

Perfectionism is linked to a range of psychopathology, including binge eating. Our study enhanced understanding of the role maternal perfectionistic concerns play in the maintenance of binge eating in emerging adult daughters. A sample of 73 mother-daughter dyads (mean age = 49.51 years for mothers and 19.89 years for daughters) reported on perfectionistic concerns (composite of doubt about actions and concern over mistakes), binge eating, and binge drinking (composite of frequency, severity, and perceptions). Using actor-partner interdependence modelling, mothers' and daughters' perfectionistic concerns were positively associated with their own binge eating (actor effects). Mothers' perfectionistic concerns were positively associated with daughters' binge eating (partner effect), but not vice versa. Perfectionistic concerns did not show significant actor or partner associations with binge drinking, supporting the specificity of our model. Findings suggest binge eating has characterological and interpersonal antecedents.

Workplace friendship, employee well-being and knowledge hiding: The moderating role of the perception of Chaxu climate.

In recent years, knowledge hiding has become a hot topic in the field of organizational behavior because of its great harm. However, relevant studies have focused only on the negative interpersonal antecedents of knowledge hiding but neglected the inhibition effect of positive informal relationships on the behavior. To fill this gap, the current study develops a moderated mediation model to investigate how and when workplace friendship has a negative impact on knowledge hiding. Drawing on social exchange theory (SET), we propose that workplace friendship inhibits knowledge hiding through the mediating role of employee well-being, with the Perception of Chaxu climate acting as a boundary condition. Using data from a two-wave time-lagged survey of 279 employees in China, the results show that workplace friendship has a negative impact on knowledge hiding behavior. Specifically, workplace friendship inhibits knowledge hiding by satisfied employee well-being, i.e., workplace friendship has a positive impact on employee well-being, while employee well-being has a negative impact on knowledge hiding. Perception of Chaxu Climate moderates the indirect effect, as the level of employee's Perception of Chaxu climate rises, the direct effect of workplace friendship on employee well-being is stronger, so as the indirect effect of workplace friendship on knowledge hiding. This article explores the mechanisms affecting employee knowledge hiding from a new interpersonal perspective of workplace friendship. It is enlightened that firms should pay attention to the management of workplace friendship, provide employee with opportunities to establish workplace friendship while providing proper guidance on the direction of workplace friendship and improving the quality of it, in order to promote employees' happiness perception and organizational knowledge management ability.

Workplace ostracism and employee silence in service organizations: the moderating role of negative reciprocity beliefs

PurposeEmployee silence is a pervasive workplace phenomenon that can cause severe economic losses to service organizations. Drawing on conservation of resource theory, the present research aims to investigate interpersonal antecedents of employee silence, specifically workplace ostracism while considering the moderating role of negative reciprocity beliefs (NRBs).Design/methodology/approachTwo-wave data collected from 355 employees working in service organizations in Pakistan supported the theorized model. The study used SmartPLS (v 3.2.7) to examine the measurement model and the structural model.FindingsAs projected, the authors found that workplace ostracism was positively related to acquiescence silence and defensive silence, but not related to prosocial silence. Besides, this study’s findings supported two-way interaction involving workplace ostracism and NRB on acquiescence silence and defensive silence, but not on prosocial silence. In particular, the presence of high NRB makes the adverse effects of workplace ostracism even worse.Originality/valueThis study explores the boundary conditions under which employee silence is more likely or less likely to occur. This just makes the current research all the more salient that why and when ostracized employees resort to remain silent in the workplace.

Interpersonal Antecedents to Selective Disclosure of Lesbian and Gay Identities at Work

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) employees’ sexual identitymay be considered a concealable stigmatised identity. Disclosing it to others at work could potentially lead to discrimination and rejection, hence threatening their inclusion. Therefore, they may hide their sexual identity instead, which may then come at the cost of, e.g., guilt for not living authentically. However, disclosure is a continuum—rather than a dichotomy—meaning that LGB workers may decide to disclose selectively, i.e., telling some, but not all co‐workers. Most literature on disclosure focuses on the interplay between intrapersonal (e.g., psychological) and contextual (e.g., organisational) characteristics, thereby somewhat overlooking the role of interpersonal (e.g., relational) characteristics. In this article, we present findings from semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews with nine Dutch lesbian and gay employees, conducted in early 2020, to gain a better understanding of interpersonal antecedents to disclosure decisions at work. Through our thematic analysis, we find that LGB workers may adopt a proactive or reactive approach to disclosure, which relates to the salience of their sexual identity at work (high/low) and their concern for anticipated acceptance. Other themes facilitating disclosure include an affective dimension, being in a relationship, and associating with the employee resource group. We demonstrate the importance of studying disclosure at the interpersonal level and reflect on how our findings relate to literature on disclosure, authenticity, belonging, and social inclusion of LGB individuals at work.

Whose media are hostile? The spillover effect of interpersonal discussions on media bias perceptions

AbstractSince Eveland and Shah (2003) published their seminal study on the impact of social networks on media bias perceptions in the US, little has been researched about the interpersonal antecedents of hostile media perceptions. In this study we address this gap by investigating the role of safe, or like-minded, political discussions on individuals’ likelihood to perceive media as hostile. We use survey data from more than 5,000 individuals in Germany. Our findings reveal that like-minded discussions increase one’s likelihood to perceive media as hostile; yet, only among those more politically engaged and ideologically on the left. The significance and theoretical implications of the results are discussed in the concluding section.

Parent and Peer Norms are Unique Correlates of COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions in a Diverse Sample of U.S. Adolescents

PurposeRecent studies have documented worrisome levels of hesitancy and resistance to the COVID-19 vaccine, including within the adolescent population. In this study, we examined attitudinal (perceived severity of COVID-19, vaccine-related concerns) and interpersonal (parent and peer norms) antecedents of adolescents' intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. MethodsParticipants were 916 adolescents (aged 12–17 years) from across the United States (47.3% male) representing diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds (26% African-American, 22% Hispanic/Latinx, 35% white, 7% Asian American). They completed a survey on their experiences and attitudes surrounding COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccine. ResultsParent and peer norms were distinct predictors of adolescent willingness to receive the vaccine. These norms were associated with vaccine intentions directly and indirectly through adolescents' beliefs about the vaccine's safety, efficacy, and necessity. Parent norms in particular displayed large effect sizes and explained considerable variance in adolescents' vaccine intentions. ConclusionsParents and friends—who figure as adolescents' most salient interpersonal relationships—are key leveraging points in promoting adolescents' uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. Norm interventions and family-based interventions may be successful in this regard.

Building a climate of faculty trust in students through principal support of student psychological needs

PurposeThis study was designed to test the relationship between principal support of student psychological needs and faculty trust in students. Without direct empirical evidence to draw from, the line of reasoning integrated evidence on social-cognitive processes involved in trust formation and conversation theory to advance two hypotheses: (1) After accounting for school and leadership conditions, principal support of student psychological needs will be related to school differences in faculty trust in students; (2) The relationship between principal support of student psychological needs and faculty trust in students is mediated by a positive view of the teaching task.Design/methodology/approachHypotheses were tested with a nonexperimental, correlational research design using ex post facto data. Due to the hierarchical structure of the data, hypotheses were tested with a 2-2-1 multilevel mediation model in HLM 7.03 with restricted maximum likelihood estimation.FindingsFindings were consistent with the hypothesized relationships – principal support of student psychological needs was related to faculty trust in students and this relationship was mediated by teacher perceptions of the teaching task.Originality/valueSchool research has primarily examined interpersonal antecedents of trust, focusing on behaviors and characteristics that position a person or group as trustworthy. This study extends trust research to the cognitive side of the formation process, calling attention to the function of mental representation in shaping trust discernments. Results suggest that cognitive processes hold promise as both a source of faculty trust in students and as a malleable mental structure that school leaders can shape through conversation.

Linking work-related and non-work-related supervisor–subordinate relationships to knowledge hiding: a psychological safety lens

Recent research on knowledge hiding has focused on its interpersonal antecedents, such as co-worker relationships. However, few research has investigated the role of vertical relationships on reducing knowledge hiding behaviors. Extending this line of research, we examined the impacts of work-related (i.e., leader–member exchange, LMX) and non-work-related (i.e., supervisor–subordinate guanxi, SSG) supervisor–subordinate relationships on knowledge hiding. Drawing from social exchange and social cognitive theories, we proposed that both LMX and SSG negatively influence subordinates’ knowledge hiding through psychological safety. With a three-wave time-lagged design and data collected from 223 employees in China, our results show that (a) both LMX and SSG are negatively related to knowledge hiding; (b) psychological safety fully mediates the impact of LMX on knowledge hiding, whereas it partially mediates the impact of SSG on knowledge hiding. Theoretical and practical implications, research limitations, and promising avenues for future research are discussed.

PTSD, religious coping, and interpersonal antecedents of suicidal desire among military veterans: An initial examination of moderation models.

PTSD, religious coping, and interpersonal antecedents of suicidal desire among military veterans: An initial examination of moderation models.

Humility breeds authenticity: How authentic leader humility shapes follower vulnerability and felt authenticity

Integrating existing work that considers the self through an interpersonal lens with theories pertaining to leader humility and authenticity, we develop a moderated mediation model that theorizes how and under what circumstances leader humility relates to follower felt authenticity. We argue that followers feel less vulnerable when their leaders express humility and further that this relation becomes weaker as the authenticity of leader humility decreases. We also theorize that follower vulnerability is the mechanism explaining the interactive effect of leader humility and its authenticity on follower felt authenticity at work. Our theoretical model was supported across four studies employing both correlational and experimental designs. These results contribute to our understanding of the interpersonal antecedents of authenticity at work as well as the growing body of research on the impact that leader humility has on important employee outcomes.

Parental Guidance and Children’s Healthy Food Consumption: Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior with Interpersonal Communication Antecedents

The study of parenting practices on child food consumption has often been characterized as having great utility but lacking in theory. In contrast, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) has often been suggested to be limited in its utility. To address these gaps, interpersonal constructs – the concepts of active parental guidance (e.g., nutrition education) and restrictive parental guidance (e.g., rule-setting) – were integrated as antecedents to the original TPB variables in predicting child fruits and vegetables (FV) consumption. We surveyed 210 child/adolescent participants, aged between 10 and 16 in Singapore. Results from structural equation modeling showed that the integrative TPB model displayed an acceptable fit. Parental active guidance was associated with all three proximal predictors of behavior. Our results suggest that there are promising contributions to the theory of planned behavior in predicting child food consumption behavior by considering interpersonal antecedents.

Interpersonal antecedents to employee upward voice: mediating role of psychological safety

PurposeDespite the increasing prominence of employee voice in organizational innovation and productivity, employees continue to struggle to influence matters that affect them at work. The purpose of this paper is to model work group context and manager behavior as the predictors of employee upward voice. Further, a mediating role of employee psychological safety is examined in this link.Design/methodology/approachWith data from 575 employees representing various technology firms in India, the authors test the hypothesized relationships using covariance-based structural equation modeling.FindingsResults indicate coworkers upward voice and manager pro-voice behavior to significantly impact employee upward voice with a mediating impact of psychological safety. This implies that perceived psychological safety plays a significant role in explaining the impact, coworkers and manager behavior would have on regulating employee upward voice.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the employee voice literature from an Indian context, where upward communication is culturally discouraged.

Neuroticism confers vulnerability in response to experimentally induced feelings of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness: Implications for suicide risk.

This study investigated the role of individual differences in neuroticism in conferring increased reactivity to the interpersonal antecedents for suicide proposed by the interpersonal theory of suicide. Undergraduate students (N=113) were screened and selected to form high (n=58) and low (n=55) neuroticism groups, and an experimental computer task was used to manipulate participants' experience of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. Participants' self-reported desire to persist in the face of this induced interpersonal adversity was measured. Results indicate that high neuroticism confers increased reactivity to the experimental induction of the interpersonal antecedents of suicidal ideation: Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. Furthermore, this vulnerability corresponds to a diminished desire to persist with the task in the face of interpersonal adversity. Neuroticism confers vulnerability for suicidal desire via an increased reactivity to the proximal, causal risk factors proposed by the interpersonal theory of suicide. This has implications for considering how personality risk factors such as neuroticism may interact with proximal interpersonal risk factors to increase suicidal ideation.

Experimentally-enhanced perceptions of meaning confer resilience to the interpersonal adversity implicated in suicide risk

Background and ObjectivesThe interpersonal theory of suicide proposes that perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness (PB-TB) are proximal causes of suicidal desire. Here we test whether experimentally induced perceptions of meaningfulness can confer resilience against interpersonal adversity and enhance persistence, the erosion of which is a potential antecedent to suicide risk. MethodsUndergraduate university students (N = 93) were randomly allocated to complete a team task under conditions of high or low task-extrinsic meaning and high or low PB-TB. Participants in the high task-extrinsic meaning condition were given the opportunity to donate to a charity as part of their experimental participation, whereas those in the low task-extrinsic meaning condition were not. ResultsConsistent with the buffering hypothesis that suicide resilience is active only when adversity is heightened, participants in the high task-extrinsic meaning condition who reported higher levels of perceived meaningfulness displayed greater willingness to persist in the face of experimentally-induced high PB and TB compared to those in the low task-extrinsic meaning condition and those in conditions where the interpersonal adversity was not induced (low PB and TB). LimitationsThe meaning induction was effective only in a subset of participants. The dual induction of PB and TB also precludes inferences about their independent causal effects on willingness to persist. ConclusionsMeaning-making interventions may attenuate the impact of proximal interpersonal antecedents of suicidal desire. Enhancing resilience in this manner can potentially improve the efficacy of prevention efforts beyond the direct amelioration of suicide risk factors.

Ecological momentary assessment of maladaptive eating in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity.

Contextual factors related to maladaptive eating behavior in youth with overweight/obesity are poorly understood. This pilot study sought to elucidate immediate internal and external cues related to perceptions of overeating and loss of control (LOC) over eating in a heterogeneous sample of children and adolescents with overweight/obesity assessed in their natural environments. Community-based youth [N = 40; 55% female (n = 22)], aged 8-14 y (M age = 11.2 ± 1.9 y), with overweight/obesity (M z-BMI = 2.07 ± 0.49) reported on all eating episodes and their physiological, environmental, affective, and interpersonal antecedents and correlates via ecological momentary assessment over a 2-week period. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the relationship between contextual variables and degree of overeating and LOC. Eating occasions involving greater food hedonics (i.e., perceived palatability of food being consumed) were associated with greater LOC severity (within-subjects effect: B = 0.01, p = .015), although youth with lower overall levels of food hedonics reported higher LOC severity ratings on average (between-subjects effect: B = -0.04, p = .005). Youth reporting higher overall cravings reported higher average ratings of LOC severity (between-subjects effect: B = 0.20, p = .001). Finally, youth reporting greater overall influence of others on eating behavior evidenced greater average levels of overeating severity (between-subjects effect: B = 0.17, p < .001). Eating-related factors appear to be most strongly associated with LOC severity, while environmental factors were most associated with overeating severity. Interventions targeting maladaptive eating in youth with overweight/obesity may benefit from helping youth incorporate palatable foods and satisfy cravings in a planned and controlled manner, and enhancing awareness of social-contextual effects on eating.

What are the interpersonal antecedents of women’s network satisfaction?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine whether women entrepreneurs are satisfied with belonging to a women’s network, as this issue is crucial for network performance and legitimacy.Design/methodology/approachThe authors tested the hypotheses on a sample of 127 French women entrepreneurs who belonged to women’s networks using multiple regression analysis.FindingsThe authors showed that these women entrepreneurs were satisfied when they developed strong ties and when cliques in the network were limited. Education had a negative effect: the higher the educational level, the less satisfaction with their networks the women reported.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample was small and composed only of women entrepreneurs who were members of women’s networks and not women who had left them.Practical implicationsThe survey findings suggest ways that managers can optimize network satisfaction to keep current members while continuing to add new ones: create an environment with no cliques where members can develop strong ties. This means connecting members with similar values or status and common interests, while making sure that cliques do not develop.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, satisfaction with professional women’s networks has never been studied. The authors’ highlight the role of strong ties in these networks and identify the contingent effect of cliques.

Antecedents, correlates, and consequences of feeling like you don't matter: Associations with maltreatment, loneliness, social anxiety, and the five-factor model

While mattering to others is regarded as an essential element of personal adjustment, relatively little is known about the developmental origins and psychosocial correlates of mattering. The current research examined the extent to which a reported history of childhood maltreatment contributed to feelings of not mattering to others. We also examined the associations between mattering and measures of psychosocial adjustment (i.e., loneliness and social anxiety) and whether low perceived mattering was associated with these indices of adjustment after controlling for variance attributable to the broad personality traits comprising the five-factor model. A sample of 232 university students completed a general mattering measure and scales tapping childhood maltreatment, the five-factor model, loneliness, and social anxiety. As expected, mattering was associated negatively with reports of emotional maltreatment and emotional neglect with the strongest association being with emotional neglect. Additionally, low mattering was associated with loneliness and social anxiety and these findings held after taking into account the clear links that reduced mattering had with low extraversion and high neuroticism. We also showed that mattering mediates the links that maltreatment has with both loneliness and social phobia. The results illustrate the interpersonal antecedents and correlates of feeling insignificant and unimportant to other people.

The interpersonal antecedents of supportive parenting: a prospective, longitudinal study from infancy to adulthood.

This study drew on prospective, longitudinal data to test the hypothesis that the intergenerational transmission of positive parenting is mediated by competence in subsequent relationships with peers and romantic partners. Interview-based ratings of supportive parenting were completed with a sample of 113 individuals (46% male) followed from birth to age 32. Results indicated that supportive parenting during adulthood was predicted by observed maternal sensitivity during the first 3 years of life, even after controlling for adults' age at first childbirth and adults' socioeconomic status and educational attainment at the time of the second generation parenting assessments. Moreover, the intergenerational association in parenting was mediated by later competence in relationships with peers and romantic partners. In particular, sensitive caregiving in infancy and early childhood predicted teachers' rankings of children's social competence with peers during childhood and adolescence, which in turn forecasted later interview ratings of romantic relationship competence during young adulthood, which in turn predicted supportive parenting in adulthood. Findings are discussed with respect to current theory and research on the intergenerational transmission of parenting.