When Abusive Supervision Increases Workplace Deviance: The Moderating Role of Psychological Safety and Organizational Identification

This study offers new insights into the moderators between abusive supervision and workplace deviance. Building on the conservation-of-resources theory, the study introduces coping resources as moderators between abusive supervision and the two dimensions of workplace deviance, that is, interpersonal and organizational deviance. The study identifies psychological safety, an intrapsychic state, as a moderator between abusive supervision and interpersonal deviance. Similarly, the research tests organizational identification as a moderator between abusive supervision and organizational deviance. The study tests the hypotheses by collecting two sources of data as well as cross-sectional data from various Pakistani organizations. The two-source data from 122 supervisors-subordinate dyads provide support for the results. The study found that low psychological safety strengthens the positive link between abusive supervision and interpersonal deviance. Besides, a low level of identification with an organization strengthens the positive association between abusive supervision and organizational deviance. Thus, the study extends the literature by highlighting the importance of several personal and coping resources for employees at work.