How does abusive supervision hurt employees? The mediating role of positive psychological capital

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

Ellensburg

Event Website

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source

Start Date

15-5-2019

End Date

15-5-2019

Abstract

Researchers in psychology have accumulated new insights and perspectives on both positive organizational behavior and the dark side of leadership yet seldom have the two perspectives been integrated. Drawing from Job Demands-Resources theory we developed and tested a model explaining how abusive supervisors negatively influence subordinates. More specifically, the job demands-resources suggests individuals operate with a constrained level of resources they can apply in a given job context. Equilibrium is achieved when there is a relative balance between the psychological demands on the individual and the psychological resources the individual can apply. In other words, the effects of job demands from, for example, an abusive supervisor, may be overbearing for individuals lower in psychological resources and lead to job strain, stress, and lower psychological well-being. From the perspective of positive psychology, Psychological Capital (self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience) may be a resource for employees to draw on during the potential adversity created by abusive supervisors. Specifically, we position abusive supervision as a job demand that reduces the psychological resources of employee positive psychological capital thereby reducing employee well-being, satisfaction, and health. Results from temporally separated data from a heterogeneous sample of 293 working adults in the United States suggest employee positive psychological capital is an explanatory mechanism as a mediator in the relationship between abusive supervision and outcomes. This represents one of the first studies to not only explain but also test how abusive supervisors are detrimental to organizations.

Faculty Mentor(s)

James Avey

Department/Program

Psychology

Source Presenation - Jadvir Gill.pptx (658 kB)
Slides for SOURCE 2019 presentation Gill

Additional Files

Source Presenation - Jadvir Gill.pptx (658 kB)
Slides for SOURCE 2019 presentation Gill

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May 15th, 12:00 AM May 15th, 12:00 AM

How does abusive supervision hurt employees? The mediating role of positive psychological capital

Ellensburg

Researchers in psychology have accumulated new insights and perspectives on both positive organizational behavior and the dark side of leadership yet seldom have the two perspectives been integrated. Drawing from Job Demands-Resources theory we developed and tested a model explaining how abusive supervisors negatively influence subordinates. More specifically, the job demands-resources suggests individuals operate with a constrained level of resources they can apply in a given job context. Equilibrium is achieved when there is a relative balance between the psychological demands on the individual and the psychological resources the individual can apply. In other words, the effects of job demands from, for example, an abusive supervisor, may be overbearing for individuals lower in psychological resources and lead to job strain, stress, and lower psychological well-being. From the perspective of positive psychology, Psychological Capital (self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience) may be a resource for employees to draw on during the potential adversity created by abusive supervisors. Specifically, we position abusive supervision as a job demand that reduces the psychological resources of employee positive psychological capital thereby reducing employee well-being, satisfaction, and health. Results from temporally separated data from a heterogeneous sample of 293 working adults in the United States suggest employee positive psychological capital is an explanatory mechanism as a mediator in the relationship between abusive supervision and outcomes. This represents one of the first studies to not only explain but also test how abusive supervisors are detrimental to organizations.

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2019/Oralpres/13