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2025 AOM Annual Meeting

OB

Session: 25444: Our Best and Our Worst: Fresh Perspectives on Bright and Dark Leader Behaviors

16761: The Interaction of Supervisor Bottom-Line Mentality and Moral Relativism in Supervisor Incivility (session 25444)

Sunday, July 27, 2025
08:30 - 10:00 CEST (GMT+2)
Location: Bella Center: Hall B-B2-m2
Session Type: Paper Session
Shareable link: https://cdmcd.co/LE9Lwb
Designated as a “Best Paper” by OB
view abridged “best paper” (if available)

Abstract: This research explores how characteristics of supervisors and subordinates interact to shape workplace incivility, focusing on supervisor-subordinate dynamics. Grounded in moral exclusion theory, we propose that subordinate performance influences supervisor incivility, moderated by supervisors' bottom-line mentality (BLM) and moral relativism. We hypothesize that supervisor BLM could influence how they perceive the utility of a subordinate's performance, while their moral relativism might affect the application of justice principle. This combination may lead supervisors to exclude low-performing subordinates from the scope of justice and act uncivilly toward them. Analyzing multilevel lagged data from 108 supervisors and 469 subordinates, we find that the negative impact of subordinate performance on supervisor incivility is intensified by the supervisor's moral relativism. Specifically, subordinate performance has the strongest negative effect on supervisor incivility when both supervisor BLM and moral relativism are high. These findings offer significant theoretical and managerial insights, which we discuss in detail below.

view paper (if available)