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Why does subordinates' negative workplace gossip lead to supervisor undermining? A moderated mediation model
Hao Zeng1, Lijing Zhao2, Jinsheng Li3
1School of Economic and Management, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|October 17, 2022
Summary
Subordinates spreading negative workplace gossip causes supervisors emotional exhaustion, leading to undermining behaviors. Supervisor mindfulness can reduce this negative impact.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Behavior
- Workplace Psychology
Background:
- Negative workplace gossip is prevalent, yet its impact on supervisors remains understudied.
- Existing research often overlooks the supervisor's perspective as a target of gossip.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how subordinates' negative workplace gossip influences supervisors' work-related behaviors.
- To examine the mediating role of supervisor emotional exhaustion.
- To explore the moderating effect of supervisor mindfulness.
Main Methods:
- Data collected from 362 subordinate-supervisor dyads across 35 organizations in China.
- A three-wave longitudinal design with 2-week intervals was employed.
- A moderated mediation model was utilized to analyze the data.
Main Results:
- Subordinates' negative gossip significantly predicts supervisor undermining.
- Supervisor emotional exhaustion acts as a mediator in this relationship.
- Supervisor mindfulness moderates the link between gossip and exhaustion, and the mediated effect.
Conclusions:
- Subordinates' negative gossip can lead to supervisor undermining via emotional exhaustion.
- Supervisor mindfulness can mitigate the detrimental effects of negative gossip.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering supervisor mindfulness in managing workplace gossip.
Keywords:
conservation of resources theoryemotional exhaustionmindfulnessnegative workforce gossipunderminingMore Related Videos
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