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Abstract
This research aims to understand why both low and high subordinate performance can induce abusive supervision. Drawing on the framework of affective events theory and research on anger and envy, we posit that low performance incurs abuse due to supervisor anger, whereas high performance elicits abuse due to supervisor envy. More specifically, subordinate performance has a decreasing curvilinear relationship with supervisor anger (i.e., a negative effect that gradually dissipates) and an increasing curvilinear relationship with supervisor envy (i.e., a positive effect that gradually emerges). Through supervisor anger and envy, subordinate performance therefore presents different curvilinear indirect relationships with abusive supervision. The results from two vignette-based experiments and a multiwave, multisource field study support these hypotheses. We further find that supervisor comparison orientation augments the curvilinear emergence of supervisor envy and ensuing abuse in response to higher subordinate performance. However, regardless of their level of performance orientation, supervisors are prone to higher anger and subsequent abusive supervision in response to lower subordinate performance.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1004-1021 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Psychology |
Volume | 109 |
Issue number | 7 |
Early online date | 12 Oct 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 American Psychological Association
Funding
An earlier version of this article has been presented in 2015 Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Yolanda Na Li acknowledges the financial support from Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (Project Number 23501920). Ming Yan’s work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project Number 71922011) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Project Number 23JNLH07).
Keywords
- subordinate performance
- supervisor emotions
- abusive supervision
- performance orientation
- comparison orientation
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- 1 Finished
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Revealing the Role of the Internet on Employees’ Daily Work: Its Classification and Impacts on Employee Outcomes (探究网络在员工日常工作中的作用:网络使用行为的分类及影响)
LI, N. Y. (PI)
Research Grants Council (HKSAR)
1/01/21 → 30/06/23
Project: Grant Research