Abusive Supervision and Employees' Deviant Behaviors

Abstract

Most research on leadership has traditionally emphasized the positive aspects, assuming that leaders are inherently good and act in a way that benefits their organization and employees. However, leaders can sometimes misuse their power, leading to detrimental effects on their organization and employees, regardless of their intentions. Consequently, a new research trend has emerged, focusing on the negative aspects of leadership and destructive behaviors. One primary destructive leadership behavior is abusive supervision, characterized by supervisors exhibiting hostile verbal and nonverbal behaviors toward their employees (excluding physical contact). We developed a process model linking abusive supervision to employees' deviant behavior. The model tested direct, mediation, and moderation hypotheses. Regression analysis results supported the proposed hypotheses, revealing that abusive supervision has a significant direct effect on deviant behavior directed at both the organization and the supervisor. Furthermore, perceived organizational support mediates the impact of abusive supervision on deviant behavior directed at the organization, and trust in the supervisor mediates the relationship between abusive supervision and deviant behavior directed at the supervisor. Lastly, the supervisor's organizational embodiment moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and deviant behavior directed at the organization. The implications of the results are discussed. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future studies are discussed as well.