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Observing workplace incivility

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  • Reich, Tara C.
  • Hershcovis, M. Sandy

Abstract

Interpersonal mistreatment at work often occurs in the presence of others; however, these “others” are rarely examined in empirical research despite their importance to the context of the negative interaction. We conducted 2 experiments to examine how witnessing incivility affects observer reactions toward instigators and targets. In Study 1, participants (N = 60) worked virtually with an ostensible instigator and target. In Study 2, participants (N = 48) worked in vivo with confederates (hired actors) on a job task. Across these 2 studies, we found that observers of incivility tend to punish instigators while their reactions to targets were generally unaffected. Further, the effect of witnessing incivility was mediated by observers’ negative emotional reaction toward the instigator.

Suggested Citation

  • Reich, Tara C. & Hershcovis, M. Sandy, 2015. "Observing workplace incivility," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 57943, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:57943
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nur Afni Khairunisa & Muafi Muafi, 2022. "The effect of workplace well-being and workplace incivility on turnover intention with job embeddedness as a moderating variable," International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy (2687-2293), Bussecon International Academy, vol. 4(1), pages 11-23, January.
    2. Iain Coyne & Alana-Marie Gopaul & Marilyn Campbell & Alexandra Pankász & Robyn Garland & Frances Cousans, 2019. "Bystander Responses to Bullying at Work: The Role of Mode, Type and Relationship to Target," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(3), pages 813-827, July.
    3. Zhu, Luke (Lei) & Aquino, Karl & You, Huan & Yang, Chunjiang, 2021. "Identity affirmation as a response to justice failure," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 189-205.
    4. Joon Hyung Park & Min Z. Carter & Richard S. DeFrank & Qianwen Deng, 2018. "Abusive Supervision, Psychological Distress, and Silence: The Effects of Gender Dissimilarity Between Supervisors and Subordinates," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(3), pages 775-792, December.
    5. Hagen Rafeld & Sebastian G. Fritz-Morgenthal & Peter N. Posch, 2020. "Whale Watching on the Trading Floor: Unravelling Collusive Rogue Trading in Banks," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(4), pages 633-657, September.
    6. Kay, Adam A. & Masters-Waage, Theodore C. & Reb, Jochen & Vlachos, Pavlos A., 2023. "Mindfully outraged: Mindfulness increases deontic retribution for third-party injustice," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    7. Her-Ting Huang & Chieh-Peng Lin, 2019. "Assessing ethical efficacy, workplace incivility, and turnover intention: a moderated-mediation model," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 33-56, February.
    8. Kelly Z. Peng & Zhijun Chen & Iris D. Zhang & Jinsong Li, 2021. "Unwilling to leave the good Samaritans: How peer interpersonal-oriented citizenship behaviors retains “me”," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(2), pages 669-685, June.
    9. Muhammad Rashid Ali & Badar Nadeem Ashraf & Chuanmin Shuai, 2019. "Teachers’ Conflict-Inducing Attitudes and Their Repercussions on Students’ Psychological Health and Learning Outcomes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-16, July.
    10. Haq, Inam ul & Azeem, Muhammad Umer & Rasheed, Maria & Anwar, Farooq, 2024. "How does witnessing coworker ostracism differentially elicit victim-directed help and enacted ostracism: The mediating roles of compassion and schadenfreude, moderated by dispositional envy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    11. Uju Violet Alola & Turgay Avci & Ali Ozturen, 2018. "Organization Sustainability through Human Resource Capital: The Impacts of Supervisor Incivility and Self-Efficacy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, July.
    12. Isabel Carmona-Cobo & Eva Garrosa & Esther Lopez-Zafra, 2021. "Workers’ Observation of Uncivil Leadership: Is Tolerance for Workplace Incivility a Gendered Issue?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-14, May.
    13. Xiaowan Lin, 2015. "How does procedural justice climate influence individual outcomes? An affective perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 771-800, September.
    14. Ni, Dan & Yang, Mengxi & Luo, Senhan & Chen, Wansi, 2024. "A third-party perspective for examining employee reactions to witnessing coworker incivility towards customers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    15. Hershcovis, M. Sandy & Neville, Lukas & Reich, Tara C. & Christie, Amy M. & Cortina, Lilia M. & Shan, J. Valerie, 2017. "Witnessing wrongdoing: The effects of observer power on incivility intervention in the workplace," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 45-57.
    16. Lijing Zhao & Long W. Lam & Julie N. Y. Zhu & Shuming Zhao, 2022. "Doing It Purposely? Mediation of Moral Disengagement in the Relationship Between Illegitimate Tasks and Counterproductive Work Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(3), pages 733-747, September.
    17. Jeremy D. Mackey & John D. Bishoff & Shanna R. Daniels & Wayne A. Hochwarter & Gerald R. Ferris, 2019. "Incivility’s Relationship with Workplace Outcomes: Enactment as a Boundary Condition in Two Samples," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 513-528, March.
    18. Lan Wang & Xiao-Ping Chen & Jun Yin, 2024. "Leading via virtual communication: a longitudinal field experiment on work team creativity in an extreme context," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 195-231, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Incivility; Observers; Third-parties; Organizational Justice; Social Undermining; Workplace aggression; Deontic justice; Affective Events Theory;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General

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