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Empowered Employees as Social Deviants: The Role of Abusive Supervision

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of psychological empowerment on the relationship between perceptions of abusive supervision and interpersonal deviance.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Data were obtained from members of a professional hotel management association (Sample 1: n = 96) and a diverse group of full-time employees (Sample 2: n = 130). We used hierarchical moderated multiple regression analyses to examine the effects of the perceived supervisory abuse × psychological empowerment interaction on coworker- and supervisor-directed deviance.

Findings

Findings across two samples demonstrated that highly empowered employees were more likely than their less empowered counterparts to engage in coworker-directed deviance when they perceived supervisory abuse, but that psychological empowerment did not moderate the relationship between perceptions of abusive supervision and supervisor-directed deviance.

Implications

Traditionally, psychological empowerment has been associated with auspicious workplace outcomes (e.g., heightened performance). Results across two samples suggest that highly empowered individuals are more likely than their less empowered counterparts to respond to perceived supervisory mistreatment with coworker-directed deviance. Thus, our results imply that there exists a “dark side” of empowerment such that the negative effects of perceived supervisory abuse trickle over to innocent bystander coworkers, and this relationship is even stronger for empowered employees.

Originality/Value

This is one of only a few studies to examine moderators capable of altering the negative effects of perceptions of abusive supervision on individuals’ behaviors in the workplace. Additionally, this study is unique given the introduction of psychological empowerment to the abusive supervision literature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, College of Business, Florida State University, 821 Academic Way, P.O. Box 3061110, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA

    Jeremy D. Mackey & Pamela L. Perrewé

  2. Department of Management, College of Business and Public Administration, Old Dominion University, 2126 Constant Hall, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA

    Rachel E. Frieder

  3. Department of Management, Monte Ahuja College of Business, Cleveland State University, Room 443, 1860 East 18th Street, Cleveland, OH, 44115, USA

    Vickie C. Gallagher

  4. Department of Hospitality, Dedman School of Hospitality, Florida State University, 288 Champions Way, UCB 4100, P.O. Box 3062541, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA

    Robert A. Brymer

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  1. Jeremy D. Mackey
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  2. Rachel E. Frieder
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  3. Pamela L. Perrewé
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  4. Vickie C. Gallagher
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  5. Robert A. Brymer
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Correspondence to Jeremy D. Mackey.

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Mackey, J.D., Frieder, R.E., Perrewé, P.L. et al. Empowered Employees as Social Deviants: The Role of Abusive Supervision. J Bus Psychol 30, 149–162 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-014-9345-x

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