Abusive Supervision: Boon or Bane in Hospitality Organization?

Proceedings of The 3rd International Conference on Tourism Management and Hospitality

Year: 2023

DOI:

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Abusive Supervision: Boon or Bane in Hospitality Organization?

Prof. Dr. Koustab Ghosh, Prof. Dr.  Dheeraj Sharma, Lubna Rashid Malik

ABSTRACT: 

Scholarly research indicates that constructive deviance in the form of voice and rule-breaking behaviors are emerging trends. Even though constructive deviance is evidenced in organizations, the role of supervision in accentuating such behaviors is still unclear. The study examines how abusive supervision is likely to result in pro-customer rule-breaking. Drawing from regulatory focus theory and job characteristic theory, the study proposes that abusive supervision fosters a customer-focused constructive voice that prompts employees to engage in pro-customer rule-breaking. Furthermore, the mediating role of customer-focused constructive voice is prominent when employees hold a high sense of work calling and experience high job autonomy. Two independent multi-wave and multi-source studies were conducted in hospitality organizations to examine the proposed hypotheses. This study extends the literature on constructive deviance by lending support in favor of the relationship between abusive supervision and pro-customer rule-breaking. The implications for academicians and practitioners are narrated.

keywords: Hospitality, abusive supervision, customer-focused constructive voice, pro-customer rule-breaking