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External observers' reactions to abusive supervision in the workplace: the impact of racial differences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2022

David M. Gligor Open the ORCID record for David M. Gligor [Opens in a new window] ,
Siddik Bozkurt  and
Nichole M. Gligor
David M. Gligor*
Affiliation:
University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA University of Mississippi, University Park, MS 38677, USA
Siddik Bozkurt
Affiliation:
Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Osmaniye 80010, Turkey
Nichole M. Gligor
Affiliation:
University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
*
*Corresponding author: E-mail: dgligor@bus.olemiss.edu
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Abstract

This research examines external observers' reactions to abusive supervision in the workplace while accounting for the impact of the abusive supervisor's race and the abused employee's race. We conducted four different studies to examine differences in external observers' protective behavior across the four possible abusive supervisor–abused employee racial combinations. The focus of these studies is on the two largest racial groups in the US: White Americans and African Americans. Our findings reveal that external observers' willingness to protect an abused employee depends significantly on the abused employee's race and the abusive supervisor's race.

Keywords

Abusive behaviorabusive supervisionracesupervision
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , May 2023 , pp. 522 - 552
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2022

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