Abusive supervision and work performance: The moderating role of abusive supervision variability

I drew on situational strength theory to develop and test a cross-level contingent model to explain how the dispersion-based conceptualization of group-level abusive supervision (i.e., abusive supervision variability) affects subordinates’ work performance. Analysis of multisource, longitudinal data of 242 supervisor–subordinate dyads from 82 groups showed that abusive supervision was negatively related to job performance and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). Further, results of moderated path analysis showed abusive supervision variability augmented the negative impacts of abusive supervision on job performance and OCB, such that these negative relationships would be stronger when the variability of abusive supervision was low as opposed to high. I discuss the implications of abusive supervision variability as it relates to understanding the impact of abusive supervision on subordinates’ performance.