TORN BY YOUR BOSS————
HOW ABUSIVE SUPERVISION MARS YOUR HOME?
WONG PO YI
12060067D
THE HONG KONG POLYTENCHIC UNIVERSITY
Abstract
This paper yields insights into how subordinate’s experience of abusive supervision, a
form of nonphysical aggression, spills over and crosses over into the family domain, whilst
extant study on the effect of abusive supervision mainly shed the light on those within an
organization. Using the “kick the dog” tale (Pedersen, Marcus-Newhal, Miller and Carson
(2000) ) as an anecdote can slightly give a basic background of this paper: a man is
scolded by his boss but does not strike back since he is in fear of losing his job. Afterward,
when he reaches home to the greeting of his puppy he responds by kicking it,”
Introduction
There are different approaches on leader’s behaviors, of which abusive leadership has
increasingly captured the attention of scholars interested in understanding the ‘dark side’
of leadership. According to a recent study by the Employment Law Alliance, 44 % of U.S.
labors say they’ve worked for an abusive leader. Specifically, abusive supervision has been
defined as “subordinates’ perceptions of the extent to which supervisors engage in the
sustained display of hostile verbal and nonverbal behaviors, excluding physical contact”
(Tepper, 2000, p. 178). Examples of abusive supervision events comprise thoughtless
action, public criticism, tantrums, and rudeness,. In other words, abusive supervision
come about if organization treats their supervisors unjustly which includes procedural
injustice and psychological contact violation. Negative working experiences would
transform to a further extent – dissatisfaction with life other than injustices ( Zagenczyk, T.
J, Restubog, S. D. L., Scott, K. L 2011). Apart from reporting higher turnover rate and
dissatisfaction towards their jobs under abusive supervision, the far-reaching repercussions
on relationship between abused employee and their family will be discussed in the
following section. Figure 1 below show the process of how abusive supervision is going to
mar employee’s home.
Figure A: Flowchart of how abusive supervision sways family
Culprit: Aggressive Norms
Short of knowledge of the causes of abusive supervision, seeking antidotes to minimize its
occurrence becomes elusive. Following social learning theory (Bandura, 1973), it has been
stated that individuals will observe the emotional reactions, attitudes, and behaviors of
others to learn what behaviors and attitudes are acceptable in a given social context.
During work, employees model the behaviors of coworkers to “fit in” or be successful and
popular; behaviors that help them are adapted, whereas those that are unsuccessful are
