The Moderating Role of Societal Cultural Values and Practices on the Relationship Between Workplace Aggression and Employee Engagement

Abstract

This article investigates the relationship between societal culture, the self-reported incidence of workplace aggression and its effects on employee engagement. While justice-based accounts emphasise the role of cultural values and attributional models focus on cultural practices, the Focus Theory of Normative Conduct is applied to understand how both cultural values and practices may influence employee outcomes. Utilising the GLOBE survey measures, a nationally representative study of 20 countries was conducted. Results indicate that higher levels of power distance, assertiveness, institutional collectivism, and in-group collectivism—in terms of both values and practices—are associated with lower self-reported workplace aggression. Moderation analyses revealed a greater negative effect of aggression on employee engagement in societies scoring higher on power distance or assertiveness values and practices and in-group collectivism practices, while such effects were lower in countries with higher institutional collectivist practices or in-group collectivist values. Implications for cross-cultural human resource management and workplace interventions are discussed.