| Author: | Li, Mengxuan |
| Title: | Observing abusive supervision among restaurant frontline employees : does industry tenure matter? |
| Advisors: | Wang, X. Maxime (SHTM) |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Subject: | Hospitality industry -- Management Restaurant management Supervision of employees Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | viii, 81 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Researchers in the hospitality field have increased their focus on vicarious abusive supervision and realized that vicarious abusive supervision not only causes harm to the focal victims but has a negative impact on bystanders. Drawing upon the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, the aim of this study is to examine the supervisor-directed deviance, silence and helping behaviours of bystanders when coping with vicarious abusive supervision. Moreover, this research investigates the moderating effect of industry tenure on the relationship between vicarious abusive supervision and affective rumination, which subsequently influenced bystanders’ behavioural responses. The model is tested through a web-based survey with a sample of 233 restaurant employees. Factor analysis was applied to examine the reliability and validity of the scales in this study. The Partial least squares (PLS) method was applied for data analysis to estimate the potential relationship between the variables using SmartPLS 3. The results demonstrate that vicarious abusive supervision triggers affective rumination in bystanders during off hours. Vicarious abusive supervision positively affects silence and negatively affects helping behaviours via intensifying affective rumination. Industry tenure as a buffer resource undermines the affective rumination of bystanders experiencing vicarious abusive supervision. Regular training of leaders should be conducted to highlight the harmful consequences of vicarious abusive supervision and to point out proper behavioural norms. Performance evaluations given by subordinates can be used to monitor leaders, and sound policies can help to make quick and appropriate actions after an incident has occurred. This study draws on COR theory to investigate the impact of vicarious abusive supervision on bystanders’ silence and helping behaviours, and to explain the mediating effect that affective rumination plays in this. In addition, industry tenure was used for the first time to explain the variation in the relationship between vicarious abusive supervision and affective rumination. By identifying bystander work behaviours resulting from vicarious abusive supervision via affective rumination, this research would refine the comprehension of these three constructs from a lens of COR theory, and provides a nuanced understanding of the mechanism of how vicarious abusive supervision generates bystanders’ behavioural responses. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6860.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 785.54 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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