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The relationship between abusive supervision and unethical pro-organizational behavior: linear or curvilinear?

Limin Guo (School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai, China)
Hongdan Zhao (School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China)
Ken Cheng (School of Management, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China)
Jinlian Luo (School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai, China)

Leadership & Organization Development Journal

ISSN: 0143-7739

Article publication date: 15 April 2020

Issue publication date: 12 May 2020

974

Abstract

Purpose

Based on social exchange theory and research on proactive personality, this study aims to explore the relationship between abusive supervision and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB), taking proactive personality as a boundary condition.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducted a two-wave questionnaire survey and used data from 353 Chinese employees of a diversified company to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

The relationship between abusive supervision and UPB varied with proactive personality. Specifically, abusive supervision had an inverted U-shaped effect on UPB when proactive personality was high, while abusive supervision was negatively related to UPB when proactive personality was low.

Research limitations/implications

More research are encouraged to replicate our study in different cultural contexts. Besides, future research can gather data from dyads (e.g. supervisor–subordinate dyad and coworker–subordinate dyad) so as to increase the objectivity and validity of the data.

Practical implications

Managers should reduce abusive supervision and elevate proactive employees' moral awareness.

Social implications

This study hopes that the authors’ findings will help practitioners to devote greater attention to managing proactive personality, abusive supervision and UPB in the organization.

Originality/value

First, this study enriches the abusive supervision literature by identifying UPB as a consequence of abusive supervision. Second, this study provides a better understanding of the coping tactics used to combat abusive supervision. Third, this study uncovers a dark side of proactive personality by verifying the moderating effect of proactive personality.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos 71772138, 71772116 and 71472137) and the Shanghai Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science (No. 2017BGL001).All authors contributed equally to this article

Citation

Guo, L., Zhao, H., Cheng, K. and Luo, J. (2020), "The relationship between abusive supervision and unethical pro-organizational behavior: linear or curvilinear?", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 369-381. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-05-2019-0214

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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