Tit for tat? Abusive supervision and counterproductive work behaviors: The moderating effects of locus of control and perceived mobility

Previous research has identified both individual differences and perceived situational variables such as self-esteem and organizational justice as the antecedents of counterproductive work behaviors (CWB). This article focuses on employees’ perceived interpersonal interaction. More specifically, the relation between abusive supervision and subordinates’ counterproductive work behaviors toward the organization is examined. Using a sample of 198 dyads employees and their immediate supervisor (N = 396) from a multinational company in China, this research finds that abusive supervision results in increased levels of sabotage, withdrawal, production deviance, and theft. This research also examines the moderating effects of locus of control and perceived mobility on the relationships between abusive supervision and subordinates’ CWB toward the organization. The results suggest that locus of control moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and sabotage, production deviance and theft, but not abusive supervision and withdrawal; perceived mobility moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and withdrawal and theft, but not abusive supervision and sabotage and production deviance. Practical implications for human resource management are discussed.

[1]  Michael D. Ensley,et al.  Moderators of the relationships between coworkers' organizational citizenship behavior and fellow employees' attitudes. , 2004, The Journal of applied psychology.

[2]  Robert Hogan,et al.  The toxic triangle: Destructive leaders, susceptible followers, and conducive environments. , 2007 .

[3]  N. Anderson,et al.  Handbook of Industrial, Work & Organizational Psychology , 2001 .

[4]  R. Bennett,et al.  A TYPOLOGY OF DEVIANT WORKPLACE BEHAVIORS: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING STUDY , 1995 .

[5]  Paul E. Spector.  Development of the Work Locus of Control Scale , 1988 .

[6]  Nai‐Wen Chi,et al.  Exploring the Relationships Between Perceived Coworker Loafing and Counterproductive Work Behaviors: The Mediating Role of a Revenge Motive , 2009 .

[7]  T. Judge,et al.  Can "good" stressors spark "bad" behaviors? The mediating role of emotions in links of challenge and hindrance stressors with citizenship and counterproductive behaviors. , 2009, The Journal of applied psychology.

[8]  Paul R. Sackett,et al.  The Structure of Counterproductive Work Behaviors: Dimensionality and Relationships with Facets of Job Performance , 2002 .

[9]  Jixia Yang,et al.  The relations of daily counterproductive workplace behavior with emotions, situational antecedents, and personality moderators: A diary study in Hong Kong. , 2009 .

[10]  D. Allen,et al.  Turnover intentions and voluntary turnover: the moderating roles of self-monitoring, locus of control, proactive personality, and risk aversion. , 2005, The Journal of applied psychology.

[11]  Paul E. Spector,et al.  The dimensionality of counterproductivity: Are all counterproductive behaviors created equal? , 2006 .

[12]  Gabriel Fischmann,et al.  Abusive Supervision and Counterproductive Work Behaviors The Moderating Effects of Personality , 2013 .

[13]  Christine M. Pearson,et al.  Tit for Tat? The Spiraling Effect of Incivility in the Workplace , 1999 .

[14]  S. Sullivan.  The Changing Nature of Careers: A Review and Research Agenda , 1999 .

[15]  J. Mueller,et al.  Does perceived unfairness exacerbate or mitigate interpersonal counterproductive work behaviors related to envy? , 2007, The Journal of applied psychology.

[16]  Paul E. Spector,et al.  Locus of Control and Well-Being at Work: How Generalizable are Western Findings? , 2002 .

[17]  N. Miller,et al.  Frustration and aggression , 1939 .

[18]  P. Bentler,et al.  Significance Tests and Goodness of Fit in the Analysis of Covariance Structures , 1980 .

[19]  Thomas W. H. Ng,et al.  Determinants of job mobility: A theoretical integration and extension , 2007 .

[20]  A. Panter,et al.  Writing about structural equation models. , 1995 .

[21]  B. Tepper,et al.  Consequences of Abusive Supervision , 2000 .

[22]  J. Rotter.  Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. , 1966, Psychological monographs.

[23]  N. Ashkanasy,et al.  A multilevel model of affect and organizational commitment , 2010 .

[24]  Paul R. Sackett,et al.  Investigating the Dimensionality of Counterproductive Work Behavior , 2003 .

[25]  Kenneth A. Bollen,et al.  Structural Equations with Latent Variables , 1989 .

[26]  Paul E. Spector,et al.  The Stressor-Emotion Model of Counterproductive Work Behavior. , 2005 .

[27]  R. Cropanzano,et al.  Social Exchange Theory: An Interdisciplinary Review , 2005 .

[28]  Maureen L. Ambrose,et al.  Abusive supervision and workplace deviance and the moderating effects of negative reciprocity beliefs. , 2007, The Journal of applied psychology.

[29]  R. Dalal.  A meta-analysis of the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive work behavior. , 2005, The Journal of applied psychology.

[30]  Paul E. Spector.  Behavior in organizations as a function of employee's locus of control. , 1982 .

[31]  Lisa Schurer Lambert,et al.  Abusive supervision and subordinates' organization deviance. , 2008, The Journal of applied psychology.

[32]  R. Bhagat,et al.  On improving the robustness of Asian management theories: Theoretical anchors in the era of globalization , 2010 .

[33]  Paul E. Spector,et al.  Job stress, incivility, and counterproductive work behavior (CWB): the moderating role of negative affectivity , 2005 .

[34]  Jacob Cohen,et al.  Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences , 1979 .

[35]  David A. Jones,et al.  Getting even with one's supervisor and one's organization: relationships among types of injustice, desires for revenge, and counterproductive work behaviors , 2009 .

[36]  Richard Dunford,et al.  The Dynamics of Delayering: Changing Management Structures in Three Countries , 2003 .

[37]  Blake E. Ashforth,et al.  Petty Tyranny in Organizations: A Preliminary Examination of Antecedents and Consequences , 2009 .

[38]  R. Lanyon,et al.  Validity and Reliability of a Pre-Employment Screening Test: The Counterproductive Behavior Index (CBI) , 2003 .

[39]  Jixia Yang,et al.  Can't serve customers right? An indirect effect of co‐workers' counterproductive behaviour in the service environment , 2008 .

[40]  Paul R. Sackett,et al.  Counterproductive behaviors at work , 2001 .

[41]  V. Lord,et al.  Characteristics of Violence in State Government , 1998 .

[42]  W. Au,et al.  A Qualitative and Quantitative Review of Antecedents of Counterproductive Behavior in Organizations , 2003 .

[43]  Richard G. Lomax,et al.  A Beginner's Guide to Structural Equation Modeling , 2022 .

[44]  David Ahlstrom,et al.  Managing in ethnic Chinese communities: Culture, institutions, and context , 2010 .

[45]  Karl Aquino,et al.  Getting even or moving on? Power, procedural justice, and types of offense as predictors of revenge, forgiveness, reconciliation, and avoidance in organizations. , 2006, The Journal of applied psychology.

[46]  K. Zellars,et al.  Abusive supervision and subordinates' organizational citizenship behavior. , 2002, The Journal of applied psychology.

[47]  Paul E. Spector,et al.  Counterproductive work behavior (CWB) in response to job stressors and organizational justice: Some mediator and moderator tests for autonomy and emotions , 2001 .

[48]  R. A. Giacalone,et al.  Antisocial behavior in organizations. , 1997 .

[49]  T. Fang.  Asian management research needs more self-confidence: Reflection on Hofstede (2007) and beyond , 2010 .

[50]  R. Hoyle.  Structural equation modeling: concepts, issues, and applications , 1997 .

[51]  R. Dalal,et al.  Who helps and harms whom? Relational antecedents of interpersonal helping and harming in organizations. , 2007, The Journal of applied psychology.

[52]  Julian Barling,et al.  Understanding supervisor-targeted aggression: a within-person, between-jobs design. , 2005, The Journal of applied psychology.

[53]  Paul E. Spector,et al.  An emotion-centered model of voluntary work behavior , 2002 .

[54]  Terence R. Mitchell,et al.  How, When, and Why Bad Apples Spoil the Barrel: Negative Group Members and Dysfunctional Groups , 2006 .

[55]  N. Miller.  I. The frustration-aggression hypothesis. , 1941 .

[56]  J. Lipman-blumen.  Toxic leadership: When grand illusions masquerade as noble visions , 2005 .

[57]  Personality moderators of the relationship between abusive supervision and subordinates' resistance. , 2001 .

[58]  Michael R. Gottfredson,et al.  A general theory of crime. , 1992 .

[59]  Daniel C. Ganster,et al.  Social Undermining in the Workplace , 2002 .

[60]  D. Hall.  Protean Careers of the 21st Century , 1996 .

[61]  Robert A. Baron,et al.  Aggression in the workplace. , 1997 .

[62]  Samuel Aryee,et al.  Antecedents and outcomes of abusive supervision: test of a trickle-down model. , 2007, The Journal of applied psychology.

[63]  Michael R. Gottfredson,et al.  Substantive Positivism and the Idea of Crime , 1990 .

[64]  Wei Hua,et al.  Abusive supervision, intentions to quit, and employees' workplace deviance: A power/dependence analysis , 2009 .

[65]  Paul E. Spector,et al.  Counterproductive work behavior: Investigations of actors and targets. , 2005 .

[66]  R. Bennett,et al.  How management style moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and workplace deviance: An uncertainty management theory perspective. , 2009 .

[67]  Bernd Marcus,et al.  Antecedents of counterproductive behavior at work: a general perspective. , 2004, The Journal of applied psychology.

[68]  Anthony R. Wheeler,et al.  “The Elusive Criterion of Fit” Revisited: Toward an Integrative Theory of Multidimensional Fit , 2005 .