Angry but not Deviant: Employees’ Prior-Day Deviant Behavior Toward the Family Buffers Their Reactions to Abusive Supervisory Behavior

Andrew Li (), Chenwei Liao (), Ping Shao () and Jason Huang ()
Additional contact information
Andrew Li: Engler College of Business
Chenwei Liao: Michigan State University
Ping Shao: California State University
Jason Huang: Michigan State University

Journal of Business Ethics, 2022, vol. 177, issue 3, No 11, 683-697

Abstract: Abstract Integrating affective events theory, work-family compensation, and moral balance theory, the present study proposes a model that examines how and when abusive supervisory behavior is related to employees’ deviant behavior toward their supervisor. Using a diary method that involved two surveys per day over two weeks, we found support for our model based on 707 daily observations from 130 employees. Specifically, anger toward one’s supervisor mediated the relationship between abusive supervisory behavior and deviant behavior toward one’s supervisor. In addition, the degree to which employees engaged in deviant behavior toward their supervisor depended on their prior-day deviant behavior toward their family. When employees engaged in lower prior-day deviant behavior toward their family, anger toward their supervisor was positively related to subsequent deviant behavior toward their supervisor. In contrast, when employees had higher prior-day deviant behavior toward their family, the relationship between anger toward their supervisor and deviant behavior toward their supervisor was weaker. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for research on abusive supervision, work-family interface, and moral balance theory.

Keywords: Abusive supervisory behavior; Family deviant behavior; Affective events theory; Moral balance theory; Work-family compensation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-021-04750-2

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