When and why organizational cynicism leads to CWBs

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saima Naseer ◽  
Usman Raja ◽  
Fauzia Syed ◽  
Muhammad Usman Anwar Baig

PurposeUsing conservation of resources theory (COR), the authors test the combined effects of cynicism and psychological capital on counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) mediated through emotional exhaustion.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a time-lagged independent source sample (N = 181) consisting of employee–peer dyads from service industry in Pakistan.FindingsModerated mediated regression analyses indicated that emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between organizational cynicism and counterproductive work behaviors. Psychological capital moderates the relationship between organizational cynicism and emotional exhaustion such that organizational cynicism is positively related to exhaustion when psychological capital is low. Furthermore, conditional indirect effects show that emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between organizational cynicism and counterproductive work behaviors only when employees' psychological capital is low.Originality/valueThe study suggests new mechanisms and boundary conditions through which cynicism triggers CWBs. The authors discuss the implications of the study’s findings and suggest possible directions for future research.

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 143-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Zheng ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Hang-Yue Ngo ◽  
Xiao-Yu Liu ◽  
Wengjuan Jiao

Abstract. Workplace ostracism, conceived as to being ignored or excluded by others, has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. One essential topic in this area is how to reduce or even eliminate the negative consequences of workplace ostracism. Based on conservation of resources (COR) theory, the current study assesses the relationship between workplace ostracism and its negative outcomes, as well as the moderating role played by psychological capital, using data collected from 256 employees in three companies in the northern part of China. The study yields two important findings: (1) workplace ostracism is positively related to intention to leave and (2) psychological capital moderates the effect of workplace ostracism on affective commitment and intention to leave. This paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for organizations and employees, along with recommendations for future research.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-Ting Chuang ◽  
Hua-Ling Chiang ◽  
An-Pan Lin ◽  
Yung-Chih Lien

PurposeAdopting conservation of resources (COR) theory as a guiding framework, this study proposes that benevolent supervision (BS) is a feasible leadership style for building a positive resource gain process in subordinates' extra-role actions and reducing their exhaustion, and leader-member exchange (LMX) and positive affect (PA) serve as indirect crossover mechanisms.Design/methodology/approachSurveys were conducted at three-time points with four-week intervals. A total of 304 subordinates and 55 supervisors at a Taiwanese university participated in the surveys, and a multilevel model was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results showed that prior BS (time 1) was positively associated with subordinates' subsequent LMX and PA (time 2). LMX mediated the relationship between BS and subsequent supervisor-rated contextual performance (time 3), and PA mediated the relationship between BS and subordinate-rated emotional exhaustion (time 3). In addition, supervisors' learning orientation positively moderated the relationship between BS and contextual performance via LMX, whereas supervisors' performance orientation negatively moderated this relationship.Practical implicationsThe results of the study encourage leaders to exhibit benevolence toward subordinates, increase subordinates' contextual performance and enhance personal feelings, thereby ultimately benefitting the organization.Originality/valueThis study reveals that BS is a source of resource investment in the process of subordinates' positive job (contextual performance) and personal (emotional exhaustion) resource gains through social exchange (LMX) and affective (PA) crossover mechanisms and that supervisors' goal inclinations impact this process.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qijie Xiao ◽  
Fang Lee Cooke ◽  
Felix Mavondo ◽  
Greg J. Bamber

PurposeThe purpose of the research is to examine the antecedent and employee well-being outcomes of employees' perceptions of benefits schemes.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using both paper-based and web-based questionnaires over two time points (one month apart). The sample included 281 participants in eight companies in China. Structural equation modelling was employed to investigate the relationship between Chinese traditionality, perceived benefits schemes, job involvement and emotional exhaustion.FindingsChinese traditionality is an antecedent of employees' perceptions of benefits schemes. Perceived benefits schemes are negatively associated with emotional exhaustion. Moreover, job involvement mediates the relationship between perceived benefits schemes and emotional exhaustion.Research limitations/implications The data were collected in eight manufacturing companies in China, which may raise concerns about the generalisability of findings across industries, nations and cultures. Larger, more representative and cross-contextual samples are needed for future research to test the results further.Practical implicationsManagers should anticipate that employees with different cultural values may develop dissimilar perceptions of the same benefits schemes. Hence, managers need to communicate the benefits schemes to distinct employee groups in different ways.Originality/valueBased on the conservation of resources model, this research offers theoretical insights into the mechanisms through which perceived benefits schemes influence employee health well-being. In addition, this research tests an antecedent of perceived benefits schemes.


Author(s):  
Zubair Akram ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Umair Akram

This study represents an important step towards understanding why supervisors behave abusively towards their subordinates. Building on the conservation of resources theory, this study investigates the impact of abusive supervision on counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) from a stress perspective. Furthermore, job demands play a significant moderating effect, and emotional exhaustion has a mediating effect on the relationship between abusive supervision and CWBs. A time-lagged design was utilized to collect the data and a total of 350 supervisors-subordinates’ dyads are collected from Chinese manufacturing firms. The findings indicate that subordinates’ emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between abusive supervision and CWBs only when subordinates are involved in a high frequency of job demands. Additionally, emotional exhaustion and abusive supervision were significantly moderated by job demands. However, the extant literature has provided that abusive supervision has detrimental effects on employees work behavior. The findings of this study provide new empirical and theoretical insights into the stress perspectives. Finally, implications for managers and related theories are discussed, along with the boundaries and future opportunities of this study.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmet Maslakcı ◽  
Harun Sesen ◽  
Lütfi Sürücü

PurposeGlobalisation has made higher education increasingly multicultural. Although multicultural university students' attitudes and interactions with different cultures affect their academic success as well as entrepreneurial intentions, only a few studies have analysed this topic. Therefore, this study examined the assumption that positive psychological capital (PsyCap) mediates the relationship between attitudes towards multiculturalism and entrepreneurial intentions.Design/methodology/approachA model was proposed and empirically tested 564 university students in Northern Cyprus. Data were analysed using SPSS 23 and AMOS 18 using the PROCESS Macro and Bootstrap methods.FindingsThe results indicated that improving university students' attitudes towards multiculturalism will have a beneficial effect on their entrepreneurial intentions. Moreover, PsyCap is a mediator variable on the relationship between multicultural attitudes and entrepreneurial intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the literature by theoretically and empirically examining how attitudes towards multiculturalism and PsyCap impact university students' entrepreneurial intentions. Its limitations can be overcome through future research.Practical implicationsThe study's findings are valid in two areas: (1) assisting policymakers, researchers and academics to better understand the critical influence of university students' attitudes towards multiculturalism on their entrepreneurial intentions, particularly since this topic had not been extensively studied; (2) advancing theoretical discussions by examining the positive effects of internal factors such as PsyCap in terms of multicultural attitudes and entrepreneurial intentions.Social implicationsThe study provides empirical evidence that academics and university administrators should pay attention to multicultural attitudes to increase university students' entrepreneurial intentions. Hence, it focused on the relationship between multicultural society, entrepreneurial intentions, and PsyCap.Originality/valueAttitudes towards multiculturalism influence students' entrepreneurial intentions through PsyCap. The context of cultural values and multiculturalism determines the premises of entrepreneurial intentions. This study is unique and innovative as it brings a new focus to academic literature.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Ma ◽  
Cong Liu

PurposeResearch concludes that supervisor conflict is a primary antecedent of employee counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). However, previous studies mainly focused on direct supervisor conflict, with indirect supervisor conflict understudied. To fill the research gap, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between indirect supervisor conflict and employee CWBs and the buffering effect of emotional intelligence on indirect supervisor conflict–CWB relationships in two studies.Design/methodology/approachThe study used time-lagged design (Study 1) and longitudinal design (Study 2) with multisource data to test the theoretical model presented in this study.FindingsThe positive relationship between indirect supervisor conflict and CWBs were consistently supported with self-report CWBs but not with coworker-report CWBs. SEA and OEA were found to buffer the indirect supervisor conflict–CWB relationships with both self-report and coworker-report CWBs.Originality/valueThe study suggests that while covert and implicit, indirect supervisor conflict could drive employees to engage in CWBs that impose a threat to organization and its members. The emotional-appraisal aspect of emotional intelligence (i.e. SEA and OEA) could help employees to better cope with indirect supervisor conflict and mitigate employees’ engagement in CWBs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 547-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Lyons ◽  
Nathan A. Bowling

Purpose Unlike general codes of conduct, little is known about whether peer reporting policies achieve their intended purpose – that is, to increase the base rate of peer reporting counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). The purpose of this paper is to use a person-situation perspective to examine if and when peer reporting policies impact the base rate of peer reporting CWBs. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected data from 271 employed participants and used moderated regression to examine whether policy presence and strength (situational variables) enhanced the relationship between a subjective obligation to report CWBs (person variable) and the base rate of peer reporting CWBs. This study also explored whether these interactions differ by CWB target (i.e. the organization vs coworkers). Findings Both situational variables – policy presence and policy strength – moderated the relationship between an obligation to report CWBs and the base rate of peer reporting CWBs. The interactions also differed by CWB target. Originality/value This study represents one of the initial academic investigations into the effectiveness of peer reporting policies. It primarily draws on the person-situation perspective to explain why peer reporting policies should influence the base rate of peer reporting CWBs. The results support the impact of peer reporting policies, but also suggest the benefit of examining different targets of CWB to help clarify when peer reporting policies are actually effective.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa E. Baranik ◽  
Yue Zhu ◽  
Mo Wang ◽  
Wei Zhuang

PurposeResearch has found that the effects of directly experiencing mistreatment at work are consistently negative; however, results from studies examining employees' reactions to witnessing mistreatment are less consistent. This study focuses on nurses witnessing patient mistreatment in order to examine how third parties respond when witnessing patients mistreating co-workers. We argue that nurses high on other-orientation are less likely to experience emotion exhaustion in the face of witnessing patient mistreatment, whereas nurses high on self-concern are more likely to experience emotional exhaustion. We further argue that the indirect effect of witnessing patient mistreatment on job performance through emotional exhaustion is moderated by other-orientation and self-concern.Design/methodology/approachWe used data collected at two time points, with six months apart, from 287 nurses working in a hospital. The study tests the hypotheses by using multiple regression analyses.FindingsEmotional exhaustion mediated the relationships between witnessing patient mistreatment and two forms of job performance: patient care behaviors and counterproductive work behaviors. Furthermore, other-orientation moderated these indirect relationships such that the indirect relationships were weaker when other-orientation was high (vs. low). Self-concern did not moderate these relationships.Practical implicationsService and care-oriented businesses may protect their employees from the risk of burnout by promoting prosocial orientation among their patient and customer-facing employees.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by demonstrating the detrimental effects of witnessing patient mistreatment on nurses' performance. It also extends the current understanding of why and when witnessing patient mistreatment is related to performance by demonstrating the joint effects of witnessing patient mistreatment and an individual difference construct, other-orientation on employees' performance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui-Ting Huang ◽  
Hsi-Sheng Sun ◽  
Chia-Hua Hsiao ◽  
Ching-Wen Wang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is not only to investigate the impact of self-determined motivation on counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs), but also to examine the moderating role of perceived job insecurity in CWB. Design/methodology/approach This study utilized Partial Least Squares analysis to examine the data. In total, 292 private bank employees that experienced bank mergers and acquisitions before were invited to participate in this study. Findings The study findings have indicated that perceived autonomy will be positively linked to perceived competence and relatedness, and perceived competence and relatedness will be negatively associated with organizational and interpersonal CWB. Moreover, it has been found that perceived job insecurity could play a key role in moderating the link between self-determined motivation and CWB. Originality/value Although several researchers have highly focused on the critical roles of self-determined motivation and perceived job insecurity in organizational competitiveness, little is known about whether perceived job insecurity could play a key role in moderating the relationship between self-determined motivation and CWBs.


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