상사의 비인격적 감독이 부하직원의 직무 열의에 미치는 영향과 심리적 계약 위반의 매개 효과

Abusive Supervision and Work Engagement: The Mediating Effects of Psychological Contract Breach

Purpose - This study seeks to deepen our understanding of abusive supervision and its negative consequences on subordinates. Specifically, it examines the underlying psychological mechanism between abusive supervision and subordinates’ work engagement, in particular with its focus on the mediational role of psychological contract breach. Design/methodology/approach - Following the two rounds of pilot interviews, this study collected and analyzed 182 survey data from one construction company and one hospital - the sectors in which abusive supervision is known to be frequent, with one-month interval to avoid common methods variances. Findings - We have two key findings. First, abusive supervision is negatively related to subordinates’ work engagement. Second, the psychological contract violation mediates the relationship between abusive supervision and subordinates’ work engagement. Research implications or Originality - This study enriches extant research on abusive supervision by deepening our understanding of the underlying mechanism in which abusive supervision causes negative outcomes. On a practical note, companies need further efforts to address abusive supervision, for example, by introducing sophisticated HR practices, including accessible grievance procedures and more serious disciplinary actions, and/or by offering leadership educations to supervisors.