The Relationship between Abusive Supervision and Subordinates' Feedback Avoidance Behavior: A Mediated Moderation Model

Abstract

Abstract:

Drawing from an approach-avoidance perspective, this study examines the influencing mechanism of abusive supervision on subordinates' feedback avoidance behavior and the moderation mechanism of supervisor's organizational embodiment. We collect 392 employees as empirical samples to testify the model. The results corroborate our predictions by demonstrating that:(1) Abusive supervision is positively related to employees' feedback avoidance behavior; (2) Subordinates' fear partly mediates the relationship between abusive supervision and employees' feedback avoidance behavior; (3) Supervisor's organizational embodiment positively moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and employees' feedback avoidance behavior, and the interaction of supervisor's organizational embodiment and abusive supervision also significantly predict the employees' feedback avoidance behavior via their fear. When perceived supervisor's organizational embodiment is high, those who are abused by their supervisor would feel more fear and tend to avoid feedback.

Key words: abusive supervision, feedback avoidance behavior, fear, supervisor's organizational embodiment

Shen Chuangang, Yang Jing. The Relationship between Abusive Supervision and Subordinates' Feedback Avoidance Behavior: A Mediated Moderation Model[J]. , 2020, 32(2): 244-253.

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