Adding fuel to the fire: How non-contingent bonuses relate to entitlement and affect pursuit of worker self-interest

Prior research has explored how psychological entitlement (a trait) fuels worker expressions of self-interest and leads to fraudulent and other counterproductive workplace behaviors. However, entitlement can also be conceptualized as a state. As such, managers might unwittingly contribute to workers’ sense of entitlement through administrative decisions that increase workers’ state entitlement. We examine the distinction and hypothesized interaction between trait and state entitlement and their effects on workplace outcomes. We test our hypotheses in two settings where worker expressions of self-interest may manifest – in the context of a hypothetical job offer negotiation and an employment simulation. We find that non-contingent bonuses increase state entitlement. We also find that both employees’ state and trait entitlement influence workplace outcomes. Thus, to limit negative outcomes due to entitlement in the workplace, managers should consider both whom they hire as well as how workplace incentives foster an entitled workforce.

Who influences employees’ dark side: A multi-foci meta-analysis of counterproductive workplace behaviors

We adopt a multi-foci perspective to provide a theory-driven quantitative review of employee counterproductive workplace behaviors (CWBs) by meta-analyzing the relationships between CWB and four groups of antecedents. Specifically, CWB antecedents stemming from four sources—supervisors, organization, coworkers, and private life—were included to investigate differences in their relationships with employee CWB. Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory, we argue that favorable and unfavorable correlates relate to employee CWB to different degrees. The meta-analysis included 181 field studies with 223 independent samples. Results indicated that unfavorable antecedents correlate more strongly with CWB than favorable antecedents. We also found that supervisor- and organization-related antecedents have stronger relationships with CWB than those from the two other groups. Implications include a deeper understanding of which situational factors relate the most—or least—to CWB which can help better address CWB in the workplace.

Voluntary workplace behaviors among employees of high and low-performing banks

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a difference with the exhibition of voluntary workplace behaviors (i.e. organizational citizenship behaviors [OCB] and counterproductive workplace behaviors [CWB]) among employees of high and low-performing banks in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The quantitative approach was adopted to collect data from employees of selected banks from Ghana’s Club 100. The independent t-test was used to categorize the exhibition of employees’ OCB and counterproductive workplace behaviors by the type bank (i.e. high- or low-performing banks). Findings Contrary to the speculations of the study, employees of high-performing banks did not score higher in the exhibition of OCB compared to low-performing banks. Employees of low-performing banks were also not found to score higher with respect to CWB as compared to those of high-performing banks. Research limitations/implications The research adopted a single rating method of collecting data from respondents. There could, however, be a level of biasness from the employees’ point of view of their exhibition of both OCB and CWB. Future research should thus seek to use a dyad method of collating data from both managers and employees of employees’ voluntary workplace behaviors. The study only focused on OCB as having a positive impact on the performance of banks and CWB having a negative impact. Future studies could also peruse both positive and negative impacts of OCB and CWB on the performance of organizations. An assessment of the various dimensions of both OCB and CWB (e.g. OCB-I, OCB-O, CWB-I and CWB-O) and their distinctive impacts on organizational performance is also suggested. Moreover, the adoption of only the quantitative approach to measuring the variables under the study was also identified as a limitation. This made it difficult to further peruse the intentions of employees to either engage in OCB or CWB. Further research could adopt the mixed-method approach that will add to the rigor in terms of the analyses. Researchers could also explore the same relationship among other sectors such as manufacturing. Further studies should also be conducted to peruse what promotes or inhibits the performance of banks irrespective of the voluntary workplace behaviors of the employees. More so, further research could also assess whether the workload of employees can predict employees’ voluntary workplace behaviors. Specific to the banking sector and others with the same working environment, future studies can investigate the factors that inhibit and encourage employees’ exhibition of OCB and CWB. Practical implications It was thus concluded that even though voluntary behaviors of employees influence the performance of organizations particularly banks, their effect is not that significant. This could be as a result of the tight schedules, structured and controlled nature of work activities in the banks that make employees so occupied throughout their working day to the extent they have perhaps no time to engage in extra-role activities. This calls for the need for banks to further explore other opportunities that contribute to boosting employee performance. Originality/value The study provides an in-depth account on whether OCB and CWB of employees predict the performance of organizations, especially banks in Ghana.

Engaging and Misbehaving: How Dignity Affects Employee Work Behaviors

While there has been a growing body of research on workplace dignity, the majority of studies tend to focus on how dignity is experienced by organizational members, paying considerably less attention to consequences for organizations. In this study, we explore the influence of workplace dignity on employee work behaviors that affect organizational performance. Framing our inquiry with Sharon Bolton’s yet-untested multidimensional theory of dignity, we analyze Randy Hodson’s content-coded ethnographic data to reveal that increases in workplace dignity tend to predict increases in employee engagement, yet have mixed effects on counterproductive workplace behaviors. Following a post-hoc ethnographic reimmersion, we identify the critical role of safe and secure working conditions in enabling and constraining employees’ ability to redress or resist workplace indignities with counterproductive workplace behaviors.

Association between Just World Beliefs and Perceptions of Counterproductive Workplace Behaviors

320 adults rated 48 counterproductive workplace behaviors (CWBs) on a 9-point scale, from petty to serious offense, and also completed the Just World Beliefs scale. Ratings of the seriousness of the CWBs indicated considerable variability in perceptions, with theft and physical violence rated most strongly. A factor analysis yielded five interpretable factors. Older participants were more likely to rate as more serious all counterproductive workplace behaviors.