Abusive Supervision and Counterproductive Work Behaviors

Abstract

While counterproductive work behaviors (CWB) are considered to be associated with both personal and situational antecedents, the relationship between these two factors is not entirely understood. Toward a better understanding of this issue, the present study examined the moderating effects of personality traits on the relationship between a specific situational stressor, abusive supervision, and organization-targeted counterproductive behaviors (CWB-O). The results found significant main effects for both abusive supervision and personality, as expected, as well as a significant interaction between them, whereby employees with low scores in conscientiousness, agreeableness, and/or emotional stability were more likely to engage in CWB-O in response to abusive behaviors from their supervisors.