Unraveling the complex nexus of punitive supervision and deviant work behaviors: findings and implications from hospitality employees in Pakistan
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
ISSN: 0959-6119
Article publication date: 8 June 2021
Issue publication date: 6 July 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The study adopts the conservation of resources (COR) theory for providing a better theoretical understanding of punitive supervision as an antecedent of employees’ minor deviant behaviors (namely, employee time theft and knowledge hiding) via creating cognitive mechanisms (employees’ perceived incivility). The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of employees’ RESILIENCY on employees’ ability to buffer the impacts of punitive supervision.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was gathered from 265 frontline hospitality employees in Pakistan. A survey was administered in person to establish trust and rapport with employees and so, collect reliable data.
Findings
The findings confirmed a direct and mediated impact of punitive supervision on employee minor deviant behaviors via creating perceived incivility. The moderating role of employees’ resiliency was also confirmed, as the employees’ resiliency helped them mitigate the impact of punitive supervision on perceived incivility.
Research limitations/implications
Data was collected from employees’ perceptions working in one industry and cultural setting. As employees’ perceptions (influenced by their cultural background) significantly affect their interpretations and reactions to punitive behavior, future research should validate and refine the findings by collecting data from a wider and diversified cultural and industry setting.
Practical implications
The findings provide theoretical explanatory power of the drivers and the contextual factors leading to minor employee deviant behaviors. The findings guide managers on how to develop pro-active and re-active strategies for deterring the occurrence and eliminating the consequences of punitive supervision.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature in multiple ways. It identifies and validates punitive supervision as an antecedent of Deviant Work Behavior (DWB). It provides a theoretical underpinning for explaining how punitive supervision spurs cognitive mechanisms, which in turn drive DWB. It also studies the nexus between destructive supervision and its outcomes in its entirety by studying the mediated and the moderating impacts of punitive supervision and perceived incivility, respectively.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Conflict of Interest Statement: The author(s) declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Moreover, the submitted work was not carried out in the presence of any personal, professional or financial relationships that could potentially be construed as a conflict of interest.
Funding: Current Research did not include formal financial funding and/or support. The author(s) declare that preparation of this manuscript was not supported by any external funding and is mere effort of the authors included.
Citation
Sarwar, A., Muhammad, L. and Sigala, M. (2021), "Unraveling the complex nexus of punitive supervision and deviant work behaviors: findings and implications from hospitality employees in Pakistan", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 33 No. 5, pp. 1437-1460. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-08-2020-0808
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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