Abusive Supervision, Intentions to Quit, and Employees' Workplace Deviance: A Power/Dependence Analysis

• Main Authors: TEPPER, Bennett J., CARR, Jon C., BREAUX, Denise M., GEIDER, Sharon, HU, Changya, HUA, Wei
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2009
• Subjects: Abusive supervision; Intention to quit; Workplace deviance; Power/dependence; Human Resources Management; Organizational Behavior and Theory
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/1712; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/2711/viewcontent/Abusive_supervision_quit_deviance_2009_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

We conducted a two-study examination of relationships between abusive supervision and subordinates’ workplace deviance. Consistent with predictions derived from power/dependence theory, the results of a cross-sectional study with employees from three organizations suggest that abusive supervision is more strongly associated with subordinates’ organization deviance and supervisor-directed deviance when subordinates’ intention to quit is higher. The results also support the prediction that when intention to quit is higher, abusive supervision is more strongly associated with supervisor-directed deviance than with organization-directed deviance. These results were replicated in a second study, a two-wave investigation of people employed in a variety of industries and occupations.