Sins of the Parents: Self-control as a Buffer between Supervisors' Previous Experience of Family Undermining and Subordinates' Perceptions of Abusive Supervision
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2012
Publication Source
Leadership Quarterly
Abstract
Drawing upon social learning theory, the intergenerational transmission of violence hypothesis, and research on self-control, we develop a model of the relationships among previous experiences of family undermining, self-control, and abusive supervision. We tested the model with data obtained from supervisor-employee matched pairs in Study 1 and matched triads in Study 2. Results revealed that: 1) supervisors who experienced higher levels of family undermining (whether reported by the immediate supervisor or a sibling) during childhood are more likely to engage in abusive supervisory behaviors as adults; and 2) this relationship is moderated such that it is stronger for supervisors with low self-control. Overall, our results highlight the role of self-control in mitigating the impact of supervisors' previous experiences of family undermining on subordinate perceptions of abusive supervision, even after controlling for previously established antecedents.
Inclusive pages
869-882
ISBN/ISSN
1048-9843
Publisher
Elsevier
Volume
23
Issue
5
Peer Reviewed
yes
Keywords
Abusive supervision, Destructive leadership, Family undermining, Self-control, Workplace bullying
eCommons Citation
Kiewitz, Christian; Restubog, Simon Lloyd D.; Zagenczyk, Thomas; Scott, Kristin D.; Garcia, Patrick Raymund James M.; and Tang, Robert L., "Sins of the Parents: Self-control as a Buffer between Supervisors' Previous Experience of Family Undermining and Subordinates' Perceptions of Abusive Supervision" (2012). Management and Marketing Faculty Publications. 38.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/mgt_fac_pub/38
Comments
This article originally appeared in The Leadership Quarterly. For the final published form please visit http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984312000458.