Bennett Tepper  J. Mack Robinson Professor Profile: Ph.D., University of Miami Specializations: Leadership Ethics Health and well-being More info: Bio info>>

Study Shows Abuse in the Workplace Rolls Downhill When supervisors feel they have been unjustly treated, they may vent their resentment by abusing their reports, according to a new study in the current issue of Personnel Psychology. The study, Procedural Injustice, Victim Precipitation, and Abusive Supervision, by Bennett Tepper, professor of managerial sciences at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business (with co-authors Michelle K. Duffy, University of Kentucky; Christine A. Henle, University of North Carolina; and Lisa Schurer Lambert, Robinson College of Business) finds that supervisors engage in more abusive behavior when they perceive that the organization they work for is using unfair decision-making to allocate valued resources. If a company doesn't seem neutral or respectful when distributing benefits and other attractive incentives, the boss may become rude, assign blame, or publicly ridicule those that report to them. Perceived company injustices can lead a supervisor into depression and that can translate into abuse. "Specifically, perpetrators tend to abuse subordinates who come across as weak and vulnerable—subordinates who project the image that they are unlikely to fight back," says Tepper. The study collected data from a sample of National Guard members and their military supervisors. The participant's service included (but was not limited to) activities such as health care, engineering, administrative duties, and technical and nontechnical training. Subordinates completed a survey measuring the amount of abusive supervision they experienced and how anxious or distressed they were.  The supervisors completed a survey measuring how just they perceived their organization to be and their level of depression.  "Organizations seeking to reduce hostility and aggression in the workplace may need to begin with the fair treatment of supervisors," Tepper concludes.    Listen to an interview with Bennett Tepper From the Central Valley Business Times, Central CA