Most previous research on workplace mistreatment has proceeded under the assumption that the various forms of mistreatment are uniformly perceived as negative by recipients. Abusive supervision is one form of mistreatment that has rarely ever been examined through a lens of ambiguity. The question many researchers have failed to ask is whether it is reality that every questionable act labeled as abusive is truly abuse, or such perceptions vary across individuals. And for the individuals perceiving the act (the target), what individual differences are influencing their judgement? The purpose of the study was to explore the influence of individual differences on the perception of abusive supervision in the workplace. The study required 134 participants to fill out a series of questionnaires based on their personality traits. They also read a series of 15 vignettes/scenarios based on Tepper’s abusive supervision scale to decide whether they found the behavior highlighted to be abusive or not abusive. The results indicated that although no significant correlations were present for overall abuse, the traits of Machiavellianism and Narcissism did show to be predictors of overt abuse, and conscientiousness was a predictor of covert abuse. Variability in perceptions of the individual vignettes were also found among each trait. In addition, the means of overall, overt, and covert abuse all partially supported the notion that abusive acts can be ambiguous.

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This research examined the effect of social class on the relationship between abusive supervision and workplace deviance. Within the social class literature we found conflicting theoretical arguments regarding the effect that social class would have on responses to abuse. To address this discordance we examined the effect of social class on responses to abusive supervision in four samples using multiple methods. Results confirmed that social class moderates the association between abusive supervision and workplace deviance. Specifically, the effect of abusive supervision on workplace deviance was stronger for higher social classes. In our laboratory research, the use of an abusive supervision prime and a subjective social class manipulation provided preliminary evidence for this effect. Our multi-wave field research provided evidence that these findings extend to actual employee behavior (i.e., interpersonal and organizational deviance). Implications for the abusive supervision literature are discussed.

The purpose of the study is to explore the relationship between abusive supervision, leader-member¡¦s exchange relationship, employee cynicism and workplace deviance behavior. The total valid sample consisted of 405 employees from Financial Services companies in Taiwan workplace. Moreover, the data from paired questionnaire reponsed by matched supervisors and subordinates (the 1¡G2 ratio) and was analyzed by factor analysis, reliability analysis with the SEM model to measure the relationship among the constructs. From the results, the Abusive supervision has a positive influence on Employee cynicism and Workplace deviance behavior. On the other hand, Abusive supervision has a negative influence on Leader-member¡¦s exchange relationship. In addition, Leader-member¡¦s exchange relationship also has negative influences on Workplace deviance behavior and Employee Cynicism. Furthermore, Leader-member¡¦s exchange relationship mediated the relationship between Abusive supervision and Workplace deviance behavior as well. Based on the results, the author suggests four proposals on the management practice. First of all, supervisors could take participative leadership. Secondly, supervisors can encourage or praise the subordinates, were considered out-group members, for their efforts. Thirdly, the enterprises could consider implementing the EAP (Employee Assistance Program) to console with those being abused employees. On the other hand, firms could launch the Assessment Center to select potential candidates who have possessed of participative leadership from the beginning.

The purpose of the study is to explore the relationship among the employee hostile attributional style, abusive supervision, job engagement and regulatory emotional self-efficacy. The total valid sample consisted of 291 subordinates from Aerospace industrial development, defense technology and system development industry in Taiwan workplace and was analyzed by factor analysis, reliability analysis and hierarchical regression analysis to measure the relationship among the constructs. Research results found that: (1) Subordinates¡¦ hostile attributional style was negatively related to their job engagement and that this effect was stronger when abusive supervision were high. (2) Subordinates¡¦ hostile attribiutional style was positively related to subordinates¡¦ perceptions of abusive supervision and that this effect was attenuated when subordinates were high in perceived self-efficacy in managing anger/irritation.

This research examined the effect of social class on the relationship between abusive supervision and workplace deviance. Within the social class literature we found conflicting theoretical arguments regarding the effect that social class would have on responses to abuse. To address this discordance we examined the effect of social class on responses to abusive supervision in four samples using multiple methods. Results confirmed that social class moderates the association between abusive supervision and workplace deviance. Specifically, the effect of abusive supervision on workplace deviance was stronger for higher social classes. In our laboratory research, the use of an abusive supervision prime and a subjective social class manipulation provided preliminary evidence for this effect. Our multi-wave field research provided evidence that these findings extend to actual employee behavior (i.e., interpersonal and organizational deviance). Implications for the abusive supervision literature are discussed.

Abusive supervision research has found that subordinates engage in deviance following abuse despite the negative consequences of doing so. Why do individuals engage in deviance despite the expected sanctions? To explain this relationship a model is proposed based on moral licensing theory wherein the relationship of abusive supervision and subsequent negative voluntary work behaviors will be moderated by the extent to which subordinates performed positive voluntary work behaviors. In Study 1, I demonstrate that high organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) as rated by subordinates’ significant others significantly increased the relationship between abusive supervision and organizational deviance, while the relationship was not significant at low levels of significant other rated OCB. In Study 2 I replicate and extend this finding using time-lagged data, finding that in the context of abusive supervision, OCB directed at the supervisor at day t significantly increased the incidence of counterproductive work behaviors directed at the supervisor and organization at day t + 1. Implications for moral licensing and abusive supervision research are discussed.

This dissertation addresses both the terminological diversity problem raised in the workplace aggression literature and the mechanism by which workplace aggression may impact job performance in a series of studies. In addressing the first question, the factor structure of incivility, interpersonal conflict, bullying, abusive supervision, and social undermining was investigated using a single factor model and a second order model. . Data was collected across two studies consisting of samples of 410 students and 247 working adults, respectively. The results indicated relatively better fit for the second order model, showing all of the workplace aggression constructs items loading on their original construct. The unique variance contributed by workplace aggression constructs was also tested in study two using self-rated performance ratings and the experience of flow-states. The results indicated that there were no tangible differences in the variance explained between the five aggression construct. Together, these findings suggest that there is a terminological diversity problem in the workplace aggression literature as each construct may be tapping into the same latent workplace aggression variable. Further, the indirect effect of workplace aggression through the experience of flow states was supported using multi-wave data. This dissertation highlight the current state of the literature, supporting our understanding that the experience of workplace aggression is both detrimental to work related performance and impacts the mechanisms individuals use in engaging with the world around them.

Ostracism is among vastly researched and discussed psychological phenomena that have been discussed in the workplace context vastly for three decades. As the severity of the issue, employees usually let the discrimination go unnoticed and therefore the cases are not reported. To understand the underlying factors that can result in its initiation, the study examines the factors that cause ostracism. The study explores the contextual environment and the factors that influence or stop the effects of ostracism in the working environment. Moreover, the study argues on the personal outcomes factors which can be the result of stressful working culture and additional workload. The study also explores how different working environment, such as employment opportunity and power distance have a role to play in this scenario. To test the study, the data was collected from the employees and supervisors of the departmental stores in Pakistan and Sweden. The number of respondents for the data was 480 (in total after data screening). As the study had multi structural model, therefore the data was testes with Confirmatory factor analysis and Structural Equation Modelling to measure the effect of different variables on the respondents. The study reveals that the factors reveal the significant effect on the employees of service industries and it results in having negative effects on psychological and health factors of an employee. It also reveals that when these issues are not resolved, employees often intend to leave the organization voluntarily not to be ostracised. Furthermore, the study also discovered insignificant results within the context of employment opportunity due to the spread of the Corona Virus Pandemic (COVID-19). The employees could not be certain about the employment opportunity in the service industry. The study suggests that it is important for services firms especially departmental stores to develop a supportive environment for the employees and allow them to fulfil their need for belongingness by performing better at the workplace.

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