Sins of the parents: Self-control as a buffer between supervisors' previous experience of family undermining and subordinates' perceptions of abusive supervision

Christian Kiewitz*, Simon Lloyd D. Restubog, Thomas J. Zagenczyk, Kristin D. Scott, Patrick Raymund James M. Garcia, Robert L. Tang

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    81 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Drawing upon social learning theory, the intergenerational transmission of violence hypothesis, and research on self-control, we develop a model of the relationships among previous experiences of family undermining, self-control, and abusive supervision. We tested the model with data obtained from supervisor-employee matched pairs in Study 1 and matched triads in Study 2. Results revealed that: 1) supervisors who experienced higher levels of family undermining (whether reported by the immediate supervisor or a sibling) during childhood are more likely to engage in abusive supervisory behaviors as adults; and 2) this relationship is moderated such that it is stronger for supervisors with low self-control. Overall, our results highlight the role of self-control in mitigating the impact of supervisors' previous experiences of family undermining on subordinate perceptions of abusive supervision, even after controlling for previously established antecedents.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)869-882
    Number of pages14
    JournalLeadership Quarterly
    Volume23
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Oct 2012

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