Workplace ostracism and organizational deviance: A self-regulatory perspective

Area of Science:

• Organizational Behavior
• Social Psychology
• Occupational Health Psychology

Background:

• Workplace ostracism is a prevalent issue with significant negative consequences.
• Self-regulation theory provides a framework for understanding employee behavior in response to workplace stressors.
• Understanding the mechanisms linking ostracism to deviance is crucial for organizational well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between workplace ostracism and organizational deviance.
• To investigate the mediating role of procrastination in this relationship.
• To explore the buffering effect of psychological flexibility on the ostracism-deviance link.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study design with three waves of data collection.
• Data collected from employees in North American organizations.
• Statistical analyses to assess mediation and moderation effects.

Main Results:

• Workplace ostracism significantly predicts organizational deviance.
• Procrastination mediates the relationship between ostracism and organizational deviance, indicating impaired self-regulation.
• Psychological flexibility moderates the procrastination-deviance relationship, mitigating its strength.

Conclusions:

• Workplace ostracism undermines employee self-regulation, leading to procrastination and subsequent organizational deviance.
• Psychological flexibility acts as a crucial buffer, enabling employees to manage negative emotions and adapt behaviors.
• Interventions promoting psychological flexibility may help mitigate the adverse effects of ostracism and reduce deviant workplace behaviors.