The Trickle-Down Effect of Abusive Supervision: The Moderating Effects of Supervisors’ Task Performance and Employee Promotion Focus

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-255
Author(s):  
Seckyoung Loretta Kim ◽  
Soojin Lee ◽  
Seokhwa Yun
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Abusive Supervision ◽  
Situational Factor ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Individual Factor ◽  
Promotion Focus ◽  
Supervisor Behavior ◽  
Trickle Down

Drawing on both social learning theory and conservation of resources theory, our research examines the trickle-down effect of abusive supervision across three hierarchical levels: managers, supervisors, and employees. Specifically, we investigate the positive relationship between abusive manager behavior and emotional exhaustion through abusive supervisor behavior. In addition, we explore supervisor task performance as a situational factor and employee promotion focus as an individual factor in the relationship between abusive supervisor behavior and emotional exhaustion. Using data from 190 supervisor–subordinate dyads, the results provide support for our trickle-down model of abusive supervision. Moreover, our results show that the positive relationship between abusive supervisor behavior and emotional exhaustion is stronger when supervisor task performance or employee promotion focus is high. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.

How do Chinese employees respond to leader bottom-line mentality? A conservation of resources perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Wenhai Wan ◽  
Danni Zhang ◽  
Xiayi Liu ◽  
Kaijie Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Conservation Of Resources Theory ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Wave Data ◽  
Chinese Companies ◽  
Employee Silence ◽  
Indirect Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Using conservation of resources theory as a framework, we proposed that in Chinese organizations, leader bottom-line mentality (BLM) would promote employee silence via emotional exhaustion. We also examined employee conscientiousness as a moderator of this indirect relationship. We collected three-wave data from 325 employees in four Chinese companies. Results show that leader BLM was positively related to employee silence, and employee emotional exhaustion mediated the positive relationship between leader BLM and employee silence. In addition, employee conscientiousness served as a first-stage moderator, such that the indirect relationship between leader BLM and employee silence via employee emotional exhaustion was significant and positive only when employee conscientiousness was low. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Abusive supervision and job outcomes: a moderated mediation study

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajeet Pradhan ◽  
Lalatendu Kesari Jena
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Abusive Supervision ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Intention To Quit ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Coworker Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indirect Relationship

Purpose Based on the conservation of resources theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the linkage between abusive supervision (a workplace stressor) and subordinate’s intention to quit by focusing on the mediating role of emotional exhaustion. The study also explores the conditional mediation model by testing the moderational role of perceived coworker support on the mediated abusive supervision-intention to quit relationship via emotional exhaustion. Design/methodology/approach To test the proposed hypotheses, the study draws data from 382 healthcare employees working in several hospitals and clinics in the eastern and north-eastern states of India. The authors collected data on the predictor and criterion variables at two time points with a separation of three to four weeks in a reversed order to counter priming effect. Findings The findings of the study reported that emotional exhaustion partially mediated the abusive supervision-intention to quit relationship. The result also supported the assertion that perceived coworker support will moderate the relationship between abusive supervision and subordinate’s intention to quit. The authors also found support to the moderated mediation hypothesis, that suggest perceived coworker support will reduce the mediating effect of abusive supervision-intention to quit relationship via emotional exhaustion. Originality/value This study is among few empirical investigations to investigate and report the interactional effect of perceived coworker support (a buffer) on the indirect relationship between abusive supervision and subordinate’s intention to quit via emotional exhaustion.

Consequences of Family Interference with Work: The Roles of Emotional Exhaustion, Service Sabotage, and Negative Affectivity

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 1613-1627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanwen Dai ◽  
Xiaoyan Chen ◽  
Jan Ketil Arnulf ◽  
Meijuan Dai
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Negative Affectivity ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Displaced Aggression ◽  
Service Setting ◽  
Service Sabotage ◽  
Practical Implications

Drawing upon the conservation of resources theory and displaced aggression perspective, in this research our aim was to study the consequences of family interference with work (FIW) in a service setting. We examined the influence of FIW on service sabotage via the mechanism of emotional exhaustion, and the role of employees' negative affectivity as a boundary condition. Based on 2 waves of data collected from 132 Chinese employees working in a call center, results showed a positive relationship between FIW and service sabotage, and emotional exhaustion acted as a mediator in this relationship. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

scholarly journals When Employees are Emotionally Exhausted Due to Abusive Supervision. A Conservation-of-Resources Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zubair Akram ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Umair Akram
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Abusive Supervision ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Work Behavior ◽  
Counterproductive Work Behaviors ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Time Lagged ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

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.

Chinese Employees’ Psychological Responses to Abusive Supervisors

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 810-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Wang ◽  
Jiang Jiang ◽  
Liuqin Yang ◽  
Darius Kwan Shing Chan
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Intent To Leave ◽  
Chinese Women ◽  
Abusive Supervision ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Psychological Responses ◽  
Interaction Data ◽  
Regression Analyses

Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the relations between abusive supervision and emotional exhaustion and intent to leave were examined, as well as the gender differences in these relations. Moreover, the moderating effect of self-esteem was tested in an integrated model stipulating that the gender-moderating effect was mediated by the abusive supervision × self-esteem interaction. Data were collected from 264 employees (111 men; M age = 32.0 years; M tenure = 9.2 years). Results of regression analyses indicated that abusive supervision was positively correlated to emotional exhaustion and intent to leave. Women reported higher emotional exhaustion and intent to leave than men. The relations of interest were stronger among employees with higher self-esteem (emotional exhaustion: β = 0.44; intent to leave: β = 0.53). The interaction of abusive supervision × self-esteem mediated the gender-moderating effect. Women’s stronger responses to abusive supervision may be related to their higher self-esteem, possibly because of the importance of employment to Chinese women.

scholarly journals The fish rots from the head down: a test of the trickle-down model of abusive supervision

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Vivian Osei ◽  
Felicity Asiedu-Appiah ◽  
Perpetual Akosuah Anyimaduah Amoah
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Abusive Supervision ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Emotional Dissonance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Guilt Proneness ◽  
Trickle Down

Purpose A major paradigm shift focusing on the dark side of leadership has generated lots of concern for organizations as leadership has cascading effects on employees’ behaviour. This study aims to understand negative behaviours in the organization as a system of interrelated interaction initiated from the top which trickles down to employees. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the theories of social exchange and norms of reciprocity, social learning and displaced aggression, this study models how and when abusive supervision relates to employees’ task performance. The model is empirically tested and extended to cover mediation and moderation processes. Drawing data from 218 bank supervisors and employees, this study uses the structural equation modelling to analyse a trickle-down model of abusive supervision. Findings Results from multi-waved, multi-sourced data indicated a mediating effect on the abusive supervision–performance relationships and provided support for employees’ guilt proneness and emotional dissonance as moderators. Overall, the results provided support for a moderated mediation relationship in the trickle-down model. Originality/value This study provides new knowledge into the potential boundary conditions of employees’ guilt proneness and emotional dissonance in affecting the relationship between abusive supervision, counterproductive work behaviour and task performance.

scholarly journals When does job dissatisfaction lead to deviant behaviour? The critical roles of abusive supervision and adaptive humour

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 294-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk De Clercq ◽  
Inam Ul Haq ◽  
Muhammad Umer Azeem
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Abusive Supervision ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Job Dissatisfaction ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Conservation Of Resources Theory ◽  
Deviant Behaviour ◽  
Buffering Effect ◽  
The Relationship

With a basis in conservation of resources theory, this study investigates the relationship between employees’ sense of job dissatisfaction and their engagement in deviant behaviour, as well as the moderating roles that their exposure to abusive leadership and possession of adaptive humour skills can play in this process. Based on two-way survey data collected from employees in Pakistan, the findings show that employees’ unhappy feelings about their job situations enhance the likelihood that they undertake negative behaviours that can harm their organization, especially when they suffer from abusive leadership or lack adaptive humour skills. The buffering effect of their adaptive humour on the positive relationship between job dissatisfaction and deviant behaviour is also particularly salient in the presence of abusive leadership. JEL Classification: D23, D91, M50

scholarly journals Affective Shifts Outside Work: Effects on Task Performance, Emotional Exhaustion, and Counterproductive Work Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingyu Qu ◽  
Xiang Yao ◽  
Qishuo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Work Attitudes ◽  
Work Behavior ◽  
Positive And Negative Affect ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Work Affect ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Practical Implications

Affective shifts have been linked to work attitudes and behaviors recently, but previous researches only focused on affective shift during work, with little attention to affective shifts outside work. Conservation of resources and personality system interaction theories are used to design a 2-week daily dairy study. Participants report how affective shifts outside work affect their subsequent-day task performance, emotional exhaustion, and CWB. As expected, findings indicate that shifts in affect outside work meaningfully impact job performance and work attitudes. That is, when both positive and negative affect upshift outside work, employees perform their tasks better but also experience increased emotional exhaustion. Practical implications and limitations are discussed.

Allies or rivals: how abusive supervision influences subordinates’ knowledge hiding from colleagues

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Changyu Wang ◽  
Jiaojiao Feng ◽  
Xinze Li
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Abusive Supervision ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Comparison Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indirect Relationship ◽  
Knowledge Hiding ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposePrevious research suggests that abusive supervision has a positive effect on subordinates’ behaviors of knowledge hiding. However, the authors argue that this effect depends on the level of team abusive supervision differentiation. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory and social comparison theory, this study tries to explain how the level of team abusive supervision differentiation, in conjunction with individuals' own experiences of abusive supervision, influences the focal subordinate's knowledge hiding from their colleagues.Design/methodology/approachThe paper addresses a sample of 412 employees nested in 73 groups and tests an original model using structural equation modeling.FindingsResults show that abusive supervision would indirectly promote subordinates' knowledge hiding toward coworkers via emotional exhaustion, and team abusive supervision differentiation has a positive moderating effect on the above indirect relationship.Practical implicationsHuman resource management (HRM) practices should be used to reduce abusive supervision both at individual and team level and minimize employees' emotional exhaustion, thereby affecting knowledge hiding from coworkers.Originality/valueResults show that whether a subordinate's experience of abusive supervision leads to knowledge hiding via emotional exhaustion depends on the level of team abusive supervision differentiation. This finding adds to the literature about abusive supervision and knowledge hiding.

A stress perspective on antecedents of abusive supervision: Blaming the organisation when exhausted supervisors abuse

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Boon Ching Serene Ng ◽  
Xiujuan Zhang ◽  
Zhen Xiong George Chen
Keyword(s):  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Abusive Supervision ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Conservation Of Resources ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Psychological Strain ◽  
Transactional Theory ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Path Analyses ◽  
Time Lagged

AbstractDrawing on the stress literature (transactional theory of stress, job demands-resources model and conservation of resources theory), this study aims to provide new insights into the antecedents of abusive supervision. We collected data from 95 supervisors with matched responses from 358 subordinates working across various industries in China using a time-lagged survey. We tested our moderated mediation model using path analyses. Results revealed that perceived workplace competitiveness triggered supervisors’ felt stress and psychological strain, resulting in abusive supervision. Two workplace constraints (climate of error aversion and organisational sanctions against aggression) were examined as moderators: a high climate of error aversion intensified the positive relationship between supervisors’ perceived competition and supervisors’ felt stress; while high organisational sanctions against aggression mitigated the positive relationship between supervisors’ psychological strain and abusive supervision. Together, these findings highlight the importance of workplace constraints and explicate how they influence resource-drained supervisors to displace their aggression onto subordinates.

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