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This study aims at analyzing the detrimental cross-level serial effects of leaders' Machiavellianism and abusive supervision on subordinates' burnout and task performance. The general aggression model and conservation of resources theory guide our research model.

The authors developed a multilevel design and used multisource data. The authors collected data from 50 bank branches located in Pakistan. A total of 50 branch supervisors participated, which yielded 200 supervisor-subordinate dyads. Machiavellianism was self-assessed by the supervisors who further rated the specific task performance of each of their respective subordinates. Burnout and abusive supervision ratings were provided by the subordinates. Abusive supervision scores were aggregated at the group level.

Machiavellianism has an indirect negative effect on individual-level task performance through the serial cross-level mediating effects of abusive supervision at the group level and attendant individual-level burnout.

Findings provide practical implications for the management of task performance and human resources.

This study offers a comprehensive cross-level model to analyze the effect of Machiavellianism on group-level and individual-level outcomes known to affect the effectiveness of leaders.

The purposes of this paper are to delve into the “liability of foreignness” among immigrants and to explore factors that may enhance or moderate such liability while obtaining jobs in host countries. We explore the competition for jobs in a host country among foreign-born individuals from various backgrounds and local residents, by examining such factors as their human capital, as well as, for the foreign-born, their duration of residence in the host country.

Applying configurational theorizing, we propose that the presence of specific human capital can help reduce the challenges associated with the “liability of foreignness” for migrants who have shorter durations of stay in the host country, and, to a lesser extent, for female migrants. Our study draws upon extensive career data spanning several decades and involving 249 employees within a Danish multinational enterprise.

We find that specific human capital helps established immigrants in general, although female immigrants are more vulnerable. We furthermore find a strong “gender liability” in the industry even for local females, including returnees in the host countries. Our findings suggest that for immigrants, including returnees, career building requires a mix of right human capital and tenure in the host country, and that career building is especially challenging for female immigrants.

While the concept of “liability of foreignness” – focussing on discrimination faced by immigrants in the labour market – has been brought to the fore, a notable gap exists in empirical research pertaining to studies aiming at disentangling potential means to overcome such liability, as well as in studies seeking to explore this issue from a stance of gendered experience.