Follower Ostracism and Micromanagement Leadership: The Roles of Power Threat and Gender

Workplace ostracism, a form of workplace harassment, delineates the experience of being excluded or ignored at work. Despite its covert nature, workplace ostracism elicits a unique pain that distinguishes it from other overt forms of harassment, such as bullying or undermining. While a growing body of literature has examined harassment directed at leaders (e.g., upward bullying), follower ostracism, in which leaders are excluded by their followers, has received relatively little attention. Drawing on Power-Dependence Theory, we conducted a multi-wave, time-lagged study (N = 137) to examine follower ostracism as an antecedent to destructive leadership, specifically micromanagement. The findings indicate that follower ostracism threatened leaders’ power, which subsequently motivated leaders to engage in micromanagement as a means to reestablish their influence and authority. Moreover, female leaders experience greater power threats, and exhibit more micromanaging behaviors than their male counterparts. This study advances the theoretical understanding of workplace ostracism, destructive leadership, and gender roles. It also offers practical solutions for organizations and leaders to prevent and cope with the detrimental effects of exclusion by subordinates.