Managerial supplication and counterproductive work behavior: Do sadness, political skill and emotional intelligence matter?

Abstract

Purpose

Can managerial supplication lead subordinates to engage in undesirable work behavior? What role, if any, do negative emotions play in this process? Are there factors that moderate these emotions and their harmful implications? Relying on the affective events theory, the current study investigated these questions using a moderated mediation model in which: (a) perceived managerial supplication elicited sadness that resulted in counterproductive work behavior and (b) political skill and emotional intelligence moderated these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The moderated mediation model was tested using a sample of 167 employees. The data were collected in three waves.

Findings

Perceived managerial supplication was positively related to subordinates' sadness and both dimensions of counterproductive work behavior, namely, organizational and interpersonal counterproductive work behavior. Moreover, sadness was positively related to both dimensions of counterproductive work behavior and mediated the relationships between perceived supplication and these two undesirable outcomes. Nevertheless, contrary to our expectations, all moderation effects included in our model were insignificant.

Practical implications

Human resource departments should implement training programs to develop the awareness of their managers about the harmful consequences of perceived supplication, encouraging them to use other behaviors with subordinates.

Originality/value

This study is the first to (a) suggest and validate the view that subordinates' perceptions about their managers' use of supplication can result in undesirable work behavior and (b) demonstrate that sadness, an emotion that is not associated with the tendency to express external aggression, can lead employees to engage in counterproductive work behavior toward both their organizations and colleagues.