Search Results (50)

As organizational competition intensifies, employees have become increasingly responsive to evaluative cues from their work environment. Among these, underdog expectations—employees’ perceptions that others view them as unlikely to succeed—can trigger strong psychological reactions that shape interpersonal behavior. Drawing on self-determination theory, this study examines how underdog expectations influence employees’ interpersonal counterproductive work behavior (CWB-I). Using a three-wave time-lagged survey design with 221 employees, we found that underdog expectations positively predict CWB-I through two parallel psychological mechanisms: increased moral disengagement and reduced perceived insider status. In addition, organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) strengthens these indirect effects, such that the mediating relationships are stronger among employees with high OBSE. These findings extend research on underdog expectations by revealing both relational and cognitive pathways linking negative evaluative expectations to interpersonal deviance, while also highlighting the complex role of self-evaluative organizational identity in shaping employees’ behavioral responses to status-based threats. Full article

This study analyzes the relationship between personal values and (un)ethical behavior in organizations, and the moderating role of perceived ethical climate. We integrate Schwartz’s theory of personal values with the Victor and Cullen model of ethical climate, following the recent reformulation proposed by Weber and Opoku-Dakwa, thereby offering a novel perspective not previously explored in empirical research. Relying on the Person–Organization Fit model, we test whether perceived ethical climate (specifically Egoism and Principled dimensions) moderates the relationship between personal values (Self-Transcendence and Self-Enhancement) and (un)ethical behavior, operationalized by Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB) and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). To this end, we conducted a semi-longitudinal study involving a heterogeneous sample of workers from different organizations (Wave 1: N = 212; Wave 2: N = 84). The analyses supported that personal values and ethical climate are associated with (un)ethical behavior. Furthermore, significant interaction effects between ethical climate and personal values predicting CWB and OCB were found. This study contributes to a better understanding and management of ethical behavior, providing a theoretical contribution and plausible practical guidelines from a person-in-context approach. Limitations and challenges of this work are discussed. Full article

Against the backdrop of the rapid development of the platform economy, gig workers’ mental health and behavior impact both individual well-being and the long-term sustainability of platform operations. Based on the cognitive appraisal theory of emotion, this study reveals the nonlinear psychological mechanism through which perceived algorithmic management influences gig workers’ behavior. Using hierarchical regression and Bootstrap analysis on data from 385 Chinese gig workers, we examine mediating and moderating effects. The findings indicate that a U-shaped relationship between them: both excessively low and high algorithmic control intensify counterproductive behaviors, while moderate control suppresses them. Negative emotions mediate this effect, uncovering the mechanism by which algorithmic control influences behavior through emotional pathways. Locus of control moderates this relationship: externally controlled workers are more sensitive to algorithmic changes, amplifying the U-shaped effect, while internally controlled workers buffer negative emotions, reducing counterproductive behaviors. This study extends the cognitive appraisal theory of emotion to the context of algorithmic management, revealing the threshold effect of perceived control and the moderating role of individual attribution tendencies. It provides theoretical guidance for platform enterprises to optimize algorithmic design and guide gig workers’ behavior, thereby facilitating the coordinated development of dual sustainability for both gig workers and platform operations. Full article

Based on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and a socio-technical systems perspective, this study examines how technology-enacted abusive supervision (TAS) influences employees’ counterproductive work behavior (CWB) in digitalized organizational contexts. Conceptualizing TAS as a system-embedded form of digitally mediated control, we argue that technology-amplified supervisory power constitutes a persistent resource threat that reshapes employees’ behavioral regulation strategies. Using three-wave time-lagged survey data from 428 employees working in digital-intensive enterprises in China, we develop and test a moderated mediation model. The results indicate that TAS is positively associated with CWB, with defensive silence serving as a critical mediating mechanism. Although defensive silence may temporarily reduce interpersonal risk, it disrupts feedback and resource replenishment processes, leading to cumulative resource depletion and a higher likelihood of counterproductive behavior over time. Moreover, power distance significantly moderates this indirect effect, such that the mediating role of defensive silence is stronger among employees with higher-power-distance orientations. By integrating leadership research, COR theory, cultural value orientations, and a socio-technical systems perspective, this study advances our understanding of covert resistance and behavioral risk in technology-driven work systems and offers important implications for digital governance and sustainable organizational performance. Full article

Sustainable innovation represents both a strategic priority and survival imperative for small- and medium-sized enterprises in resource-constrained economies. While digital transformation offers potential solutions, the synergistic effects of digital leadership, employee behaviors, and emerging technologies remain poorly understood. This study bridges this gap by developing and testing a behavioral-tech leadership framework grounded in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and Technology Acceptance Model. Analyzing survey data from 400 Iraqi SME employees using partial least squares structural equation modeling, we demonstrate that digital leadership directly enhances sustainable innovation while reducing counterproductive cyberloafing. Crucially, social cyberloafing, when properly managed, emerges as a positive mediator, improving employee well-being and creativity, particularly among mid-career and educated workers. Artificial Intelligence’s integration further amplifies these effects by optimizing operational efficiency and reducing human-resource strain. These findings challenge conventional perspectives by repositioning cyberloafing as a conditional resource within the JD-R framework and provide actionable insights for achieving sustainable innovation even in challenging environments. Practical implications include gender-inclusive digital leadership programs, ethical AI implementation guidelines and restorative cyberloafing policies. The study contributes to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 8 (decent work), 9 (industry innovation) and 12 (responsible consumption) while highlighting the transformative potential of human-centric digital strategies in resource-constrained contexts. Full article

Grounded in the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study investigates how negative workplace gossip (NWG) influences counterproductive work behavior (CWB) in the hospitality industry. It further examines the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating influence of emotional contagion in shaping this relationship. While prior research has predominantly treated NWG as a social stressor or reputational threat, this study extends the COR theory by explicitly modeling the resource depletion mechanism, specifically, the erosion of self-esteem as a key pathway linking NWG to CWB. By doing so, it posits that gossip erodes self-esteem, a fundamental psychological resource that eventually leads to behavioral retreat or revenge. Within the COR framework, the study also presents emotional contagion as a unique moderating variable, emphasizing how individual differences in emotional susceptibility may either accelerate or buffer the process of resource loss. Data was collected from 437 employees working in five-star hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh using a structured questionnaire. Analysis via PLS-SEM revealed that NWG significantly increases CWB, both directly and indirectly, by undermining employees’ self-esteem. Additionally, self-esteem was found to mediate the NWG–CWB link, while emotional contagion moderated the impact of NWG on self-esteem, suggesting that individuals with better emotional regulation can maintain self-worth in the face of workplace gossip. The study offers both theoretical and practical insights, highlighting the value of incorporating emotional contagion within the COR theory to understand and manage gossip-induced stress. It also underscores the importance of emotional intelligence and HR practices such as training and selection in minimizing the harmful effects of gossip at work. Full article

Employees have both work and non-work lives, and these domains of investment can interfere with each other. The present investigation (total N = 497) sought to understand the potential role(s) of work-related emotional intelligence (W-EI) in managing these forms of conflict, with samples consisting of full-time military personnel (Study 1), postdoctoral researchers (Study 2), and employees from diverse occupations (Study 3). Higher levels of W-EI were associated with lower levels of family-to-work conflict, but not work-to-family conflict, suggesting an asymmetric form of conflict shielding. Lesser experiences of family-work conflict also provided some explanation for why employees with higher W-EI levels were less prone to counterproductive work behaviors and work-related burnout. In addition, employees with higher W-EI levels were less prone to counterproductive work behaviors even when levels of family-work conflict were relatively high. The results highlight multiple ways in which employees with high W-EI levels manage the family-work interface. Full article

The accelerated advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has positioned it as a novel colleague. However, as employees collaborate with AI colleagues in daily work, their communication and interaction with human colleagues may decrease. This may result in feelings of loneliness and a potential reduction in emotional resources, potentially leading to counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Drawing from the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we hypothesize that employee–AI collaboration may amplify employees’ CWB due to loneliness and emotional fatigue. The potential mitigating effects of leader emotional support on these outcomes are also considered. To test these hypotheses, a 2 × 2 vignette experiment (N = 167) was conducted. The results demonstrate that employee–AI collaboration exerts a substantial positive influence on loneliness. Loneliness further increases employees’ emotional fatigue, which in turn increases CWB. Leader emotional support—the care and motivation demonstrated by leaders has been identified as a key factor in reducing loneliness. This research contributes to the extant literature on employee–AI collaboration and CWB, and expands the application scope of COR. Practical implications arise for managers, who are encouraged to consider the impact of employee–AI collaboration on interpersonal interaction and to address employees’ emotional needs in a timely manner. Full article

In the platform economy, customers are the primary interaction partners of gig workers, and their behaviors and attitudes significantly influence gig workers’ work experiences and behavioral responses. Based on the stressor–emotion model and social exchange theory, this paper systematically explores the formation mechanism of customer-directed counterproductive work behavior. This study employs structural equation modeling to analyze survey data collected from 385 registered gig workers on crowdsourced delivery platforms in China. The results indicate that customer injustice increases gig workers’ negative emotions, perceived organizational injustice, and customer-directed counterproductive work behavior while decreasing customer commitment. Furthermore, negative emotions, perceived organizational injustice, and customer commitment mediate the relationship between customer injustice and customer-directed counterproductive work behavior. Additionally, job demands act as a buffering mechanism in the occurrence of customer-directed counterproductive work behavior. This study is the first to systematically focus on customer-directed counterproductive work behavior among crowdsourced delivery gig workers, enriching the existing literature. The findings provide practical insights for crowdsourced delivery platforms, aiding in understanding gig workers’ work psychology and optimizing labor management strategies. Full article

(1) Background: Workplace procrastination leads to missed deadlines and financial losses, necessitating a deeper understanding of its risk factors and inhibitors for effective interventions. This study aims to bridge the significant gap in the literature regarding the effects of Authentic Leadership (AL) on workplace procrastination behaviors, including soldiering and cyberslacking. AL, as a positive leadership style, is proposed as a key factor in mitigating procrastination by fostering a supportive work environment. Specifically, this research examines how AL impacts procrastination through two psychosocial risk factors—lack of supervisor support and lack of workgroup support—which are hypothesized to mediate this relationship. (2) Methods: Data were collected from 738 employees (62.9% women) who completed a survey. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was conducted to explore the direct relationship between AL and procrastination, and indirect relationships through support. (3) Results: The findings indicate that AL negatively impacts procrastination behaviors, with stronger effects on soldiering compared to cyberslacking. AL is also negatively associated with perceptions of a lack of support from both leaders and workgroups, with a stronger influence on leader support. Both lack of leader and workgroup support significantly predict soldiering but not cyberslacking. (4) Conclusions: This study highlights AL’s potential to mitigate workplace procrastination by reducing perceptions of insufficient support. Organizations should focus on AL training to promote leader authenticity and supportiveness while fostering strong support networks within workgroups to enhance productivity and reduce procrastination behaviors. These findings also contribute to understanding AL’s role in addressing workplace counterproductive behaviors. Full article

This article aims to investigate the impact of toxic leadership (TL) on counterproductive work behavior (CWB) with the mediating roles of organizational cynicism (OC) and organizational injustice (OIJ), using 392 questionnaires collected from employees working in the Egyptian higher education sector. The data are examined using AMOS 25 for structural equation model (SEM) analysis. The results show that toxic leadership positively affects CWBs, organizational cynicism, and organizational injustice. Furthermore, organizational cynicism positively affects CWBs, and organizational injustice significantly affects CWBs. Finally, organizational cynicism and injustice partially mediate the relationship between toxic leadership and CWBs. This study adds novelty to the literature by exploring the influence of toxic leadership on CWBs, OC, and OIJ in Egypt’s higher education sector. As a result, addressing the prevalence of toxic leadership and its ripple effects is essential for fostering sustainable organizational cultures. Sustainable work environments prioritize fairness, employee well-being, and positive leadership practices, reducing counterproductive behaviors. Finally, this article reviews the limitations but also assesses the substantial contributions to theory and practice made by the paper. Full article

Despite advances in understanding the factors that predict unethical behaviors such as counterproductive workplace behavior (CWB), there is still substantial variance left unexplained in the occurrence of unethical behavior. Recent research has examined how unethical behavior may change beyond initially reported levels due to the gradual erosion of ethicality via justification processes such as moral disengagement. The present study extends this research by examining the role of personality in determining the extent to which individuals make subsequent unethical decisions at greater or lower levels beyond their initial levels. Studies 1 and 2 used an experimental design that presents half of participants with an opportunity to practice moral disengagement by allowing participants to justify their actions. Results in study 1 demonstrate that individuals with high levels of dark personality traits tend to increase their level of unethical decision making when given the chance to justify their actions, whereas those with low levels of dark personality become less unethical. Study 2 examines the extent to which the mediating role of perceived justice changes when participants are given an opportunity to justify their actions. Results from study 2 show the effects of justice as a mediating mechanism are significantly diminished when the justification manipulation is present. Implications emphasize the need to use both selection and development interventions in organizations to reduce gradual decreases in ethicality as well as reduced reliance on cross-sectional research to study a phenomenon that can change as unethical behavior is justified. Full article

This study investigates the complex interplay between organizationally prescribed perfectionism (OPP), job insecurity, counterproductive work behavior (CWB), and self-efficacy in learning artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of modern organizations. Based on several theories, the current research suggests and tests a moderated mediation model. Using a three-wave time-lagged design with data collected from 412 workers across various South Korean corporations, we examine how OPP influences CWB both directly and indirectly through job insecurity, and how self-efficacy in AI learning moderates the OPP–job insecurity link. Our results show that OPP is positively linked to CWB, and this association is partially mediated by job insecurity. Moreover, AI learning self-efficacy functions as a moderator in the OPP–job insecurity link, such that the positive link is weaker for members with higher levels of AI learning self-efficacy. These findings extend our understanding of perfectionism in organizational settings and highlight the role of technological self-efficacy in mitigating the negative impacts of perfectionist cultures. This research may contribute to the literature on perfectionism, CWB, and technological adaptation at work, and has important implications for managing high-performance cultures in the period of rapid technological advancement. Full article

Background/Objectives: Emotional intelligence may help nurses to cope with demanding work environments where the need to improve the quality and safety of the care provided, as well as the care of the chronically ill, prevails. Although it is well known that emotional intelligence is positively related to work performance, the literature on nurses is limited. The aim of our study was to examine the impact of emotional intelligence on work performance in a sample of nurses in Greece. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 318 nurses. We collected data from a convenience sample of nurses during January 2024. Since we conducted an online survey through social media, our sample could not be representative of all nurses in Greece. For instance, older nurses may be underrepresented in our study due to limited access on social media. We measured emotional intelligence with the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF) and work performance with the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). We created multivariable linear regression models adjusted for sex, age, educational level, and work experience. We followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. Results: We found that the four streams of emotional intelligence (i.e., well-being, self-control, emotionality, sociability) increased nurses’ work performance. In particular, we found a positive relationship between well-being and task performance (adjusted beta = 0.210, 95% CI = 0.140 to 0.281, p-value < 0.001) and contextual performance (adjusted beta = 0.135, 95% CI = 0.050 to 0.221, p-value = 0.002). Similarly, there was a positive relationship between self-control and task performance (adjusted beta = 0.136, 95% CI = 0.030 to 0.241, p-value = 0.012). Additionally, sociability increased task performance (adjusted beta = 0.223, 95% CI = 0.151 to 0.295, p-value < 0.001) and contextual performance (adjusted beta = 0.198, 95% CI = 0.111 to 0.286, p-value < 0.001). Moreover, emotionality (adjusted beta = −0.198, 95% CI = −0.319 to −0.076, p-value = 0.002) and sociability (adjusted beta = −0.133, 95% CI = −0.221 to −0.044, p-value = 0.003) reduced counterproductive work behavior. Conclusions: Our multivariable models identified a positive impact of emotional intelligence on nurses’ work performance. Nurse managers and healthcare organizations should adopt appropriate interventions to improve nurses’ emotional intelligence. Enhancing emotional intelligence among nurses can improve work performance and, thus, healthcare outcomes. Moreover, higher levels of emotional intelligence may empower nurses’ compassion and resilience, fostering a supportive work environment. In this context, the well-being of both nurses and patients may improve. Full article

Organizations need high performance from their employees to achieve their goals, provide specialized services and products, and ultimately secure a competitive edge. Performance is also a source of satisfaction for employees, as it creates feelings of mastery and pride. Different leadership styles positively influence both employee performance and organizational excellence; thus, the present study aimed to analyze the relationship between a novel leadership style based on attachment theory, secure base leadership, and job performance (i.e., task and conceptual performance and counterproductive work behaviors). Additionally, a passive-avoidant leadership relationship with performance dimensions is analyzed. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling with self-reported data from 422 Spanish employees, the results show that secure base leadership is positively related to task and contextual performance, while it is negatively related to counterproductive work behaviors. The opposite pattern is found for passive-avoidant leadership (except for the link between passive-avoidant leadership and contextual performance, which is not significant). The promotion of secure base leadership within organizations allows for the cultivation of a supportive environment that favors work behaviors that are aligned with organizational objectives, and since leadership can be trained, these results are relevant for practitioners in organizations. Full article