Watch and repeat: The within-person dynamics underlying witnessed incivility and instigated incivility

Abstract

Toxic workplaces, such as those with a high prevalence of incivility, can be highly destructive to both the organisation and its employees. Despite growing scholarly interest in understanding how incivility spreads in the workplace, the active role of bystanders in this process has largely been overlooked. Moreover, most research has investigated these inherently dynamic processes at the between-person level. Across two within-person studies and grounded in integrative self-control theory, the present research adopts a dynamic approach to examine how witnessing incivility prompts bystanders to engage in incivility themselves. Results showed that higher levels of witnessed incivility positively predicted subsequent changes in mental and emotional work fatigue, as well as changes in instigating incivility, even after accounting for employees' direct experiences of incivility. By considering the role of bystanders, this research advances our understanding of low-intensity forms of vicarious mistreatment in the workplace, demonstrating that even indirect exposure to incivility can deplete employees' mental and emotional energetic resources and contribute to the development of toxic work environments.