The way you make me abuse: impression management matters
ISSN: 2049-3983
Article publication date: 2 November 2021
Issue publication date: 6 May 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the perspectives of emotional labor, self-concept and impression management, this study presents two major findings: (1) employees' excessive reliance on impression management can bother supervisors, and (2) the effectiveness of impression management depends on how the management affects targets' attribution of characteristics to actors.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a cross-sectional design and a sample of 259 employees to investigate the antecedents of abusive supervision and, in this regard, the potential mediating effects of impression management. Through Mplus analysis, the authors specifically show that deep acting and surface acting affect impression management and that impression management activates abusive supervision.
Findings
Emotional labor is critical in triggering abusive supervision through impression management. The study specifically shows that impression management mediates two types of relationships: (1) the relationship between deep acting and abusive supervision, and (2) the relationship between surface acting and abusive supervision. The findings contribute to the abusive supervision literature by clarifying how impression management functions.
Originality/value
This study, by addressing how emotional labor is a potential antecedent of abusive supervision, reveals that impression management can be a mixed blessing, insofar as emotional labor can contribute to abusive supervision.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: No external funding was used to support this study.
The authors would like to thank Mr. Chun‐Lung Chu, and Dr. Shyh‐Jer Chen, whose research assistance and suggestions made this study possible. Many thanks also go to those who completed online surveys for this study.
Citation
Chen, Y.-L. and Chu, T.Y. (2022), "The way you make me abuse: impression management matters", Evidence-based HRM, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 121-137. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-04-2021-0059
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited