How do subordinates react to perceived narcissistic supervision? The roles of perceived interactional justice and need for belonging

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how and when perceived narcissistic supervision influences subordinates' work engagement and counterproductive work behavior (CWB) based on organizational justice theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Two-wave data were collected from 320 employees in a Chinese manufacturing company.

Findings

Subordinates' perceived interactional justice mediated the relationships between perceived narcissistic supervision and work engagement and CWB. Higher levels of subordinates' need for belonging strengthened the detrimental impacts of perceived narcissistic supervision on subordinates' outcomes.

Practical implications

Organizations should reduce the occurrence of narcissistic supervision, enhance subordinates' perception of interactional justice and pay more attention to subordinates' need for belonging in personnel and team arrangement.

Originality/value

Although research has documented the detrimental effects of perceived narcissistic supervision, little effort has been made to investigate how such effects occur and which factors might amplify such effects. This study identified the mechanism underlying the link between perceived narcissistic supervision and subordinates' outcomes and unpacked the moderating role of subordinates' need for belonging.

Citation

Ni, D., Liu, X. and Zheng, X. (2021), "How do subordinates react to perceived narcissistic supervision? The roles of perceived interactional justice and need for belonging", Baltic Journal of Management, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 621-637. https://doi.org/10.1108/BJM-02-2021-0051