Socially responsible behavior can include things like volunteering, donating goods or money, or other humanitarian work. Most people would agree that this is beneficial and even necessary for society. Researchers in this study (Babu et al., 2024) decided to look at one avenue that may prevent people from participating in socially responsible behavior – dealing with abusive leadership at work.
THE RESEARCH STUDY
The researchers conducted a weekly diary study with 114 employees. The authors collected data on the degree of abusive supervision participants faced, how much self-control they were exerting at work, and the socially responsible behavior in which they participated.
Results indicated that abusive supervision led to a drain on employees’ personal resources and an increased use of self-control to combat their impulses. In turn, this led to employees engaging in less socially responsible behavior. This was especially true if the leaders were habitually abusive, rather than the behavior being a one-time occurrence.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
While the impact of abusive supervision inside of the workplace has been well-documented, research is starting to demonstrate the effects it can have outside of the workplace. Organizations that want to reduce the harm of abusive leadership should consider doing the following:
- Nip it in the bud, so to speak. Results showed that habitual abuse was worse than one-time abuse, so organizations should try to stop abusive leadership when it first appears. Establishing clear repercussions for abusive behavior that are actually enforced, may help prevent abusive leadership from becoming a pattern.
- Provide a system that allow employees to safely and anonymously report incidents. This will encourage employee to speak out when they face abusive leadership or witness coworkers experiencing it.
- Provide resources and encourage ‘recovery’ activities, such as taking breaks, both at work and at home. This may help prevent psychological depletion in both employees and leaders.
- Help employees set goals around socially responsible behavior. By making commitments, employees may be more empowered to participate in the socially responsible behavior, even when they feel depleted.
Babu, N., De Roeck, K., Rivkin, W., & Bhattacharya, S. (2024). I can do good even when my supervisor is bad: Abusive supervision and employee socially responsible behavior. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 97, 555-578.
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