TY - JOUR
T1 - Lone wolves reciprocate less deviance
T2 - a moral identity model of abusive supervision*
AU - Wu, Xiangfan
AU - Kwan, Ho Kwong
AU - Ma, Yun
AU - Lai, Guowei
AU - Yim, Frederick H K
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 71672108], [grant number 71662032].
PY - 2020/4/11
Y1 - 2020/4/11
N2 - Although previous studies provide diverse perspectives on the influences of abusive supervision, the moral perspective receives little attention in the literature. We rely on social cognitive theory to present a moral identity model of abusive supervision that accounts for the influences of perceiving abusive supervision on organizational and interpersonal deviance. In particular, we propose that employee moral identity mediates the positive relations between abusive supervision, as perceived by followers, and their subsequent organizational and interpersonal deviance. We also test the extent to which lone wolf tendencies alleviate the main negative impact of abusive supervision on moral identity and the indirect effect of abusive supervision on organizational and interpersonal deviance through moral identity. More specifically, when the level of lone wolf tendencies is high, the relationship between abusive supervision and moral identity, and the magnitude of the moral identity mediating mechanism will be weaker. Using multi-wave, multiple-source data collected in China, our findings support most of our hypotheses and offer insightful theoretical directions for mistreatment, morality, and disposition research. Our moderated mediation model serves as a springboard for future research to understand the social cognitive processes that link abusive supervision and deviant behavior from the moral perspective.
AB - Although previous studies provide diverse perspectives on the influences of abusive supervision, the moral perspective receives little attention in the literature. We rely on social cognitive theory to present a moral identity model of abusive supervision that accounts for the influences of perceiving abusive supervision on organizational and interpersonal deviance. In particular, we propose that employee moral identity mediates the positive relations between abusive supervision, as perceived by followers, and their subsequent organizational and interpersonal deviance. We also test the extent to which lone wolf tendencies alleviate the main negative impact of abusive supervision on moral identity and the indirect effect of abusive supervision on organizational and interpersonal deviance through moral identity. More specifically, when the level of lone wolf tendencies is high, the relationship between abusive supervision and moral identity, and the magnitude of the moral identity mediating mechanism will be weaker. Using multi-wave, multiple-source data collected in China, our findings support most of our hypotheses and offer insightful theoretical directions for mistreatment, morality, and disposition research. Our moderated mediation model serves as a springboard for future research to understand the social cognitive processes that link abusive supervision and deviant behavior from the moral perspective.
KW - Abusive supervision
KW - interpersonal deviance
KW - lone wolf tendency
KW - moral identity
KW - organizational deviance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85031430931&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09585192.2017.1384929
DO - 10.1080/09585192.2017.1384929
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85031430931
SN - 0958-5192
VL - 31
SP - 859
EP - 885
JO - International Journal of Human Resource Management
JF - International Journal of Human Resource Management
IS - 7
ER -