Uncover the veil of power: The determining effect of subordinates’ instrumental value on leaders’ power-induced behaviors

Abstract

Leaders’ sense of power is often found to induce abusive and aggressive behaviors toward subordinates, which consequently undermines interactional justice. Drawing on moral exclusion theory, we predict that subordinates’ instrumental value determines whether leaders’ sense of power prompts abusive supervisory behaviors or actions of showing goodwill toward subordinates, which, in turn, reshapes interactional justice. We theorize that leaders’ outcome dependence on subordinates is the key indicator of subordinates’ instrumental value. The results of two field studies lend support to our propositions. When leaders have low outcome dependence on subordinates, their sense of power is more likely to trigger abusive supervisory behaviors and then hamper interactional justice. Conversely, when leaders have high outcome dependence on subordinates, their sense of power is more likely to promote goodwill toward subordinates and consequently foster interactional justice. We further find that subordinates’ power distance influences the relationship between power-induced behaviors and interactional justice.