When and How Subordinate Performance Leads to Abusive Supervision: A Social Dominance Perspective

Abdul Karim Khan, Sherry Moss, Samina Quratulain, Imran Hameed

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    95 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    While we would typically expect poor performers to elicit abusive responses from their supervisors, we theorize that high performers may also be victims of abusive supervision. Specifically, we draw on social dominance theory to hypothesize and demonstrate that subordinate performance can have a positive, indirect effect on abusive supervision through the mediator of perceived threat to hierarchy. And this positive indirect effect prevails when the supervisor’s social dominance orientation is high. We found support for our theoretical model using data collected from supervisor–subordinate dyads.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2801-2826
    Number of pages26
    JournalJournal of Management
    Volume44
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 1 2018

    Keywords

    • abusive supervision
    • social dominance orientation
    • subordinate performance

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Finance
    • Strategy and Management

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