Search Results (4)

With the global economic downturn, the impact on internal systems of Chinese SMEs has also received great attention. However, the provocative and destructive nature of retaliation behavior by SME employees shifts resources meant for organizational system development towards addressing internal balance issues. Employees’ retaliation behavior poses significant harm to organizations systems, limiting their long-term sustainability and competitiveness in the long run. This study argues for a close relationship between employee behavior and leadership management style, particularly in the context of inadequate management systems in SMEs, which can easily subject employees to direct influence from their leaders. For example, abusive supervision or oppressive practices at the management level can trigger resistance and rebellious behavior among employees, leading them to choose retaliatory actions as a response to the organizational system. This study aims to explore the causal relationship between abusive supervision and retaliation behavior within the system. We aim to clarify the pathway through which abusive supervision triggers retaliation behavior among employees within the system and examine the serial multiple mediating effects of psychological distress and negative emotions as well as the moderating effect of workplace incivility. To validate the hypotheses proposed in this study, a survey was conducted among employees of Chinese SMEs. The data provided by 303 employees were analyzed using SPSS ver. 26.0, AMOS ver. 23.0, and SPSS PROCESS Macro 3.4.1 Model 6. The findings indicate that abusive supervision has an indirect effect on employee retaliation behavior through the serial multiple mediating effects of psychological distress and negative emotions. Workplace incivility moderated the influence of negative emotions on retaliation. This study explored the process by which abusive management triggers retaliative behavior through a serial multiple mediation model, providing theoretical evidence for related research. This study explicitly reveals the process leading to retaliation behavior within the system and presents the differences from previous research. Additionally, this study demonstrates the interactive effect between abusive supervision and incivility through the moderating role of incivility in determining the level of retaliation behavior. Ultimately, this study has pioneering significance in exploring the causes of retaliation behavior within the Chinese SME organizational system and how to prevent the occurrence of retaliation behavior. Full article

The ubiquity of abusive supervision in the workplace, as well as the serious repercussions that come with it, has prompted scholars to investigate the numerous dynamics of this problem. This research examines the circumstances in which subordinates react to abusive supervisory behavior. The study hypothesizes the negative impacts of abusive supervision associated with the impression of unfairness and politics in the workplace toward a subordinate deviant attitude based on current research and theoretical perspectives. According to the suggested paradigm, abusive supervision leads to subordinates’ work incivility by creating an unfair and politically thrilling atmosphere in the workplace. Furthermore, the study found that political skill and work incivility are linked to each other; workers who are experts in using political tactics are not supposed to turn toward work incivility while responding to the abusive behavior of the top management. The research was based on the social exchange theory and uncertainty management theory. Full article

Despite the large body of research on workplace mistreatment, surprisingly few studies have examined the interaction effect of multiple interpersonal stressors on employee outcomes. To fill this gap, our research aimed to test the moderating effects of coworker incivility and customer incivility on the relationship between abusive supervision, emotional exhaustion, and job performance. Analyses conducted on 651 South Korean frontline service employees revealed that abusive supervision exerted a significant indirect effect on job performance through emotional exhaustion. Customer incivility strengthened the positive relationship between abusive supervision and emotional exhaustion, as well as the indirect effect of abusive supervision on job performance through emotional exhaustion. Our post hoc analysis demonstrated a three-way interaction between abusive supervision, coworker incivility, and customer incivility; the relationship between abusive supervision and emotional exhaustion was significantly positive only when coworker incivility was high and customer incivility was low. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory and practice. Full article

Much of the supervision incivility research has focused on the supervisor-subordinate dyad when examining the effects of supervision incivility on employee outcomes. Our study examines a trickle-down effect of supervision incivility across three hierarchical levels, i.e., from the department leader (middle manager), through group leader (supervisor), and to group members (employees), and how it affects group psychological safety. Drawing on a sample of 346 employees and 78 group leaders in 78 work groups, our research found a negative relationship between department leader incivility and group psychological safety, and that this negative relationship was mediated by group leader incivility and moderated by group leader attribution for performance-promotion or injury-initiation motives. We further discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings. Full article