| Why does abusive supervision occur? the perspective of morality |
Received:October 16, 2017 Revised:October 16, 2017 |
Key Words: moral development level, psychological capital (PsyCap), abusive supervision, corporate ethical values, person-organization fit |
| Author Name | Affiliation | | Yujie Ma | Tongji University |
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Abstract: |
| Previous research has found that abusive supervision brings about various harmful consequences to the individual and organization. However, the antecedent conditions and processes that explain when abusive supervision occurs are not well understood, especially from the perspective of morality. In this study, we proposed and tested a multi-level moderated mediation model to explore the relationship between moral development level and abusive supervision, and the interactive effect of psychological capital and corporate ethical values. Using a sample of 109 supervisors and their 436 subordinates from 39 companies and 9 industries in China, we found that supervisors with higher moral development level are more likely to commit abusive supervision; supervisors’ psychological capital partially mediates the relationship between their moral development level and abusive supervision. In addition, the corporate ethical values in the workplace moderate the direct effects of supervisors’ psychological capital and the indirect effects of their moral development level on their abusive supervision. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. |
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