Stronger together: Understanding when and why group ethical voice inhibits group abusive supervision

Mayowa T. Babalola; Patrick Raymund James M. Garcia; Shuang Ren; Babatunde Ogunfowora; Kubilay Gok

doi:10.1002/job.2582

Stronger together: Understanding when and why group ethical voice inhibits group abusive supervision

Mayowa T. Babalola^*, Patrick Raymund James M. Garcia, Shuang Ren, Babatunde Ogunfowora, Kubilay Gok

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this research, we integrate social impact theory (SIT) and social cognitive theory (SCT) to examine how group ethical voice, as a form of social influence, reduces group abusive supervision. Drawing on SIT, we hypothesize that the strength of this relationship is contingent on the group's power, size, and social distance from the group leader (i.e., interaction frequency). Results from data collected over two time periods from 521 employees in 98 work groups (Study 1) reveal that group ethical voice reduces group abusive supervision, controlling for general group voice and group performance. Furthermore, we found that the relationship between group ethical voice and group abusive supervision was strongest when the group is larger, powerful, and interacts frequently with the group leader. These findings are replicated in Study 2, a time-lagged study of employees across three time periods. Study 2 also shows that the interactive effects of group ethical voice, group power, and social distance (but not group size) on abusive supervision are mediated by leader reflective moral attentiveness. Specifically, in powerful and socially proximal groups, group ethical voice reduces abusive supervision by fostering greater reflective moral attentiveness in group leaders.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	386-409
Number of pages	24
Journal	Journal of Organizational Behavior
Volume	43
Issue number	3
Early online date	25 Nov 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2582
Publication status	Published - Mar 2022
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank our Action Editor and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments, feedback, and guidance. An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the 2019 annual meeting of the Academy of Management in Boston, MA, USA, and received the Best Paper with Practical Implications Award from the Organizational Behavior Division.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords

abusive supervision
group ethical voice
social impact theory
social influence

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Applied Psychology
Sociology and Political Science
General Psychology
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

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10.1002/job.2582Licence: Unspecified

Cite this

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abstract = "In this research, we integrate social impact theory (SIT) and social cognitive theory (SCT) to examine how group ethical voice, as a form of social influence, reduces group abusive supervision. Drawing on SIT, we hypothesize that the strength of this relationship is contingent on the group's power, size, and social distance from the group leader (i.e., interaction frequency). Results from data collected over two time periods from 521 employees in 98 work groups (Study 1) reveal that group ethical voice reduces group abusive supervision, controlling for general group voice and group performance. Furthermore, we found that the relationship between group ethical voice and group abusive supervision was strongest when the group is larger, powerful, and interacts frequently with the group leader. These findings are replicated in Study 2, a time-lagged study of employees across three time periods. Study 2 also shows that the interactive effects of group ethical voice, group power, and social distance (but not group size) on abusive supervision are mediated by leader reflective moral attentiveness. Specifically, in powerful and socially proximal groups, group ethical voice reduces abusive supervision by fostering greater reflective moral attentiveness in group leaders.",

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note = "Funding Information: We thank our Action Editor and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments, feedback, and guidance. An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the 2019 annual meeting of the Academy of Management in Boston, MA, USA, and received the Best Paper with Practical Implications Award from the Organizational Behavior Division. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.",

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AU - Gok, Kubilay

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Stronger together: Understanding when and why group ethical voice inhibits group abusive supervision

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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