Abusive Supervision

TLDR

Over the past 15+ years, research has identified key patterns of abusive supervision but still leaves several unanswered questions. This article reviews and synthesizes evidence on the causes and consequences of abusive supervision. The review is structured into three sections covering conceptualization, consequences, and antecedent conditions of abusive supervision.

Abstract

The overarching purpose of this article is to review and synthesize the accumulated evidence that explores the causes and consequences of abusive supervision in work organizations. Our review is organized in three sections. In the first section, we discuss research trends and provide clarification regarding the pressing and not-so-pressing problems with the way that abusive supervision is ordinarily conceptualized and studied. In the second section, we highlight problems and prospects in research on the consequences of abusive supervision. In the third section, we turn our attention to the growing body of research that explores the antecedent conditions and processes that explain when abusive supervision is more or less likely to occur. Throughout the article, we offer an overview of what has been learned over the past 15-plus years and highlight unanswered questions that warrant examination in future studies.