Social undermining in the workplace

Link, Google Scholar; Edmondson A. Daniel C Jul 10, 2022 · Social undermining is defined as activity that seeks to sabotage the development and maintenance of strong interpersonal connections, professional success, and a positive reputation . Reasons for why social undermining is important for organisations, employees, and the effect of it on workplace behaviours within organisations are then explored. behaviours that disrupt the normal functioning of organisations), and whether neuroticism could moderate the association linking social undermining in Apr 1, 2002 · Social Undermining in the Workplace. Jul 27, 2023 · As a substantial amount of research has accumulated on the harmful consequences of workplace aggression for target employees, we believe it is now of particular importance to examine moderators that alleviate or amplify these harmful effects. Women leaders are 2X as likely as men leaders to spend substantial time on DEI work, and 40% of women leaders say their DEI work isn’t acknowledged at all in performance reviews. According to research, people are more likely to lead happier lives if they work in a supportive atmosphere. But, the damage of negative gossip is mainly aimed at the employee who perceived being targeted. 1999. 2002). Vinokur found that those who alleged to have social undermining in the workplace reported to have poorer mental health and experienced less well-being. Jul 19, 2022 · An undermining coworker may engage in such behaviour out of insecurity or a desire to feel powerful, and it can be highly detrimental to team dynamics. 2002, p. when social identification is lower and team. Academy of Management Journal, 45: 331–351. 332) defined social undermining as “behavior intended to hinder, over time, the ability to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships, work-related success, and favorable reputation. To examine whether negative emotions could mediate the association linking social undermining in families (i. On the one hand, social undermining concerns intentional actions that diminish a target's ability to establish and maintain positive relationships, work-related May 25, 2022 · Duffy et al. pending on the extent of social identification and team undermining norms; the indirect ef. Journal of Management & Organization , 26: 756‐773. In order to respond thoughtfully and with clarity, learn to Jun 18, 2017 · Signs you are being undermined can include colleagues gossiping a lot, leaving you out, them overstepping their rank, and them taking credit for your ork. Jul 24, 2018 · Given the amount of time and effort individuals pour into work, scholars and practitioners alike have spent considerable time and resources trying to understand well-being in the workplace. Mar 20, 2024 · Another detrimental consequence of undermining employees is the erosion of self-esteem and confidence. In this paper, we (1) develop and test a social-context-based theory of reactions to undermining, (2) subject our predictions to tests involving different sources of undermining (i. hedonic well-being rather than eudaimonic well-being) or by generalizing between Envy can motivate individuals to strive harder or to harm others. Employee and organisational reputation are discussed in the context of social undermining as a workplace stressor and as existing on a continuum of supportive and/or derogative Sep 1, 2006 · Specifically, we consider the consequences of being singled out for undermining. However, they are different in their targets, intention to harm, continuation, intensity of the actions, and the type of norm violation, [ 11 ]. Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Mar 24, 2022 · Social undermining is defined as “behavior intended to hinder, over time, the ability to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships, work-related success, and favorable reputation” (Duffy et al. Aug 10, 2022 · Management scholars have long recognized many forms of workplace mistreatment, ranging from relatively infrequent acts of physical violence, such as physical harassment and bullying, to the far more prevalent forms of the behavior, such as incivility and social undermining (SU; e. We collected data from 133 service employees across ten working days (resulting in 1,197 daily Jun 30, 2023 · This infographic explains how you can identify and overcome obstacles to having difficult conversations at work about gender, racial bias or social issues. Apr 1, 2024 · In this study, we draw on self-regulation theory (Baumeister et al. Leader-member exchange is the quality of relationship Jul 27, 2016 · In organizational research, social exclusion is generally studied under the broader rubric of workplace mistreatment, alongside other constructs that similarly capture antisocial behaviors that can cause psychological and emotional harm to a target, such as aggression (Baron & Neuman, 1996), harassment (Bowling & Beehr, 2006), social undermining (Duffy, Ganster, & Pagon, 2002), interpersonal Dec 29, 2023 · Unethical interpersonal interactions such as coworker undermining has been a major issue in organizations as they add stress to the workplace and make it unappealing for others. When examining positive workplace conduct, research has demonstrated that social undermining exists on a unique and distinct continuum. Organizational leaders can create a stronger sense of community among employees, offer avenues for support as well as resources that can help workers cope with the Jan 4, 2024 · In work settings, social intelligence and competencies are often referred to as “political skill,” suggesting an ability to influence others to achieve workplace goals. , Barclay & Aquino, 2011; Dhanani et al. , higher core self-evaluations [CSEs]) who also maintain higher trust in workplace management are more likely to experience heightened stress and turnover intentions when undermined. WI is servere as it is widely considered as the “cancer” of the workplace, thereby calling for urgent and serious attention. hedonic well-being rather than eudaimonic well-being) or by generalizing between Oct 18, 2023 · Through the questionnaire survey, data is collected from 882 temporary agency workers in a Chinese temporary staffing firm. The study mainly explores the impact of perceived negative workplace gossip on employees’ behaviors and its process from the self-evaluation perspective * Academy of Mtinagfiiwnl journal • 2002, Vol, 4S, No, I. Study 1, a cross-sectional field study (N = 310 employee–coworker dyads), reveals that employees who perceive they are more ethical than their Jul 19, 2012 · Social undermining in the workplace. Aug 31, 2023 · An unintended consequence of political skill in the workplace. University of Minnesota Twin Cities. 05) and behaviors of social undermining toward the partner (γ = 0. In three studies, we leverage the rich content contained within workplace bullying complaint records to explore this issue then, based on our discoveries, investigate people management May 24, 2022 · Duffy et al. Advertisement. High levels of undermining and support from the same source were associated with negative outcomes Mar 31, 2002 · Social Undermining in the Workplace. Decrease the authority you have in the workplace, over a team or within a project group. Based on the social identity theory (SIT), we focused on the actor’s perspective and investigated Jul 10, 2022 · The results indicate that: (1) a high level of unit social undermining by either a supervisor or co-workers has a significant positive influence on interpersonal rumination; (2) being the subject of envy exerts a mediating effect between unit supervisor social undermining and interpersonal rumination, as well as between unit co-worker social I integrate the network theory of social influence into extant work on social influence of undermining behaviors in the workplace and propose that (1) network peers influence individuals' social undermining such that level of network peer undermining is positively related to individual undermining and (2) contextual characteristics (behavioral Nov 30, 2017 · An interactive model of social undermining and social support in the workplace was developed and tested among police officers in the Republic of Slovenia. Duffy et al. Social undermining and social support. DOI: 10. High levels of undermining and support from the same source were associated with negative outcomes Dec 21, 2021 · There is some overlap between workplace incivility and other negative treatments in the organization, including aggression, social undermining at work, deviance, antisocial behavior, violence . The results showed that there is an inverted U-shaped Key Findings: Women leaders are about 1. 332). Research has shown that politically skilled employees enjoy numerous advantages, such as building more favorable reputations, developing more extensive and critical networks Mar 21, 2018 · Drawing on social comparison theory, we investigate employees’ ethical and performance comparisons relative to a similar coworker and subsequent emotional and behavioral responses. CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed. We reconcile the divergent findings in the literature by Feb 1, 2023 · There is also a need to identify the differences among multiple constructs of negative workplace behaviors such as abusive supervision, aggression, bullying, deviance, harassment, incivility, social undermining, and victimization (Abdullah and Al-Abrrow, 2022, Hilal, 2021, Koay and Lim, 2022, Ramadugu and Rastogi, 2021). Jun 29, 2010 · workplace mistreatment. , 2021). Emotion in organizations. Drawing on the person perception perspective and the warmth–competence framework, we develop a theoretical model outlining how coworkers view and react to those team members who take charge more at work. Make a joke about you. As an aggressive tool, for example, withholding information Oct 18, 2014 · Work–family conflict contributes to co-worker-directed social undermining behaviour because it weakens person–organization fit perceptions – especially among women. g. Mar 24, 2011 · In this paper, I consider five example constructs (i. 01, p < . The impact of ‘bully bosses’ on organizations is well studied and research has established a number of antecedents, correlates, moderators and mediators of workplace bullying and mobbing as well as the impact of the practices on the targets, bystanders, perpetrators and the employing organizations. :i:n-351. Jun 25, 2020 · For example, data from the 2014 Canadian General Social Survey indicates that 27 percent of all physically violent incidents occur in the workplace (Perreault, 2015), with women more than twice as likely to be targets of workplace violence than men after adjusting for work hours (Lanthier, Bielecky, & Smith, 2018). In addition, the moderating roles of personality traits, such as self-esteem and neuroticism, are examined in this relationship. Sep 8, 2012 · We integrate moral disengagement, social identification, and social norms theories to develop, test, and replicate a model that explains how and when envy is associated with social undermining. As an aggressive tool, for example, withholding information Mar 29, 2021 · Workplace relational aggression. Oct 17, 2022 · Understand your triggers. High levels of undermining and support from the same source were associated with negative outcomes Jul 27, 2023 · As a substantial amount of research has accumulated on the harmful consequences of workplace aggression for target employees, we believe it is now of particular importance to examine moderators that alleviate or amplify these harmful effects. Social competencies and social skills have become Nov 30, 2017 · An interactive model of social undermining and social support in the workplace was developed and tested among police officers in the Republic of Slovenia. Overall, I establish distinct responder-based reactions and postulate competition as a key boundary condition that alters the effects of capitalization. GANSTER University of Arkansas MILAN PAGON University of Ljubljana An interactive model of social undermining and social support in the workplace was developed and tested among police officers in the Republic of Slovenia. Results are gathered from a survey of 325 full-time employees from 17 companies covering six industries in the central and eastern development regions of Nepal. Jul 12, 2018 · Although negative workplace gossip means social undermining to employees (Duffy et al. Mar 10, 2023 · Take action to lessen the importance of your achievements or how you realized4 your accomplishments. The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual model in which perceived negative workplace gossip influences employees in-role behavior and Envy can motivate individuals to strive harder or to harm others. A roadblock might be, for example, fear of saying something hurtful or the struggle to fully grasp your colleagues’ experiences. High levels of undermining and support Jul 24, 2023 · The present study investigates the impact of daily coworker social undermining on employees' daily work withdrawal and daily somatic health complaints. May 17, 2021 · Extensive research has been conducted into the antecedents and consequences of workplace envy, but there have been limited meta-analytic reviews. While a coworker may undermine you at work because of any Apr 25, 2019 · In particular, social undermining and leader-member exchange should be significantly related, yet distinct from eudaimonic workplace well-being. 31 Mar 2002 - Academy of Management Journal (Academy of Management) - Vol. . , abusive supervision, workplace bullying, workplace incivility, and social undermining) found in the organizational psychology literature, our search revealed 266 studies that have empirically examined the consequences of these forms of interpersonal mistreatment. May 10, 2023 · Social undermining at work is related to social interaction. TL;DR: An interactive model of social undermining and social support in the workplace was developed and tested among police officers in the Republic of Slovenia as discussed by the authors, and social Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study specifically demonstrates that supervisor social undermining is positively associated with coworker social undermining in the workplace. In a study published in Organization Science, Associate Professor of Management Shuhua Sun finds that politically skilled employees in competitive workplace environments can often become targets of social undermining by co-workers. , 2002, p. Relational aggression in the workplace and related constructs have been studied under various labels including incivility (Andersson & Pearson, 1999), social undermining (Duffy, Ganster, & Pagon, 2002), abusive supervision (Tepper, 2000), and workplace bullying (Einarsen, 2000). 643, SE = 0. Workplace saboteurs can Nov 30, 2017 · An interactive model of social undermining and social support in the workplace was developed and tested among police officers in the Republic of Slovenia. Increased anxiety among employees as rumors circulate without clear information Jan 11, 2016 · This study investigates the impact of leader-member exchange (LMX) on envy in the workplace and the subsequent effects of envy on work engagement and socially undermining behavior. , 2002), almost everyone in the workplace is creating, listening to, and discussing it (Foster, 2004). Lost productivity and wasted time. fect of envy on social undermining is stronger. negative judgements that prevent the maintenance of positive familial ties) to nurses’ deviant workplace behaviours (i. Social undermining concerns a variety of common forms of negative behaviors through manners and verbal actions in the workplace. A multiple-source, multi-wave field study was conducted with data collected from 267 employee-peer dyads in three Chinese firms. Aug 18, 2020 · Co-worker social undermining is a form of workplace mistreatment that reduces a person’s ability to create and maintain good relationships, success, and a positive reputation at work (Duffy et al. Aug 8, 2023 · Our study also contributes to the social undermining literature which has argued that social undermining is driven by envy stemming from unfavourable upward social comparisons (Duffy et al. Paired questionnaires were personally collected from 245 subordinates and 82 of their Jul 6, 2018 · Social undermining is the expression of negative emotions directed towards a particular person or negative evaluations of the person as a way to prevent the person from achieving his or her goals. 5465/3069350. The Academy of Management Journal 45 (2):331-351. We ask the following questions: For whom is workplace aggression more, or less, detrimental? Moreover, what can target employees and the organization do Apr 28, 2021 · Furthermore, I explain how these inspirational and envious reactions motivate interpersonal citizenship behavior and social undermining, respectively. We argued and predicted that attitudinal and behavioral reactions to undermining (from supervisors and coworkers) would be strongest when a correspondingly low level of undermining was Jun 17, 2022 · That same study considers social undermining a form of workplace aggression and identifies three main distinguishing factors, namely: This behavior is intentional. We integrate moral disengagement, social identification, and social norms theories to develop, test, and replicate a model that explains how and when envy is associated with social undermining. 99, p < . SOCIAL UNDERMINING IN THE WORKPLACE MICHELLE K. We argue that individuals will feel guilty if they perceive themselves as the perpetrators of the social undermining against their Social undermining can arise through interactions with co-workers and supervisors; these interactions have an effect on the workers that are being undermined and can affect their work performance. Journal of Applied Psychology 97(2): 343–359. We test our theoretically driven hypotheses across two studies. 45, Iss: 2, pp 331-351. We empirically test the mediating role of the experienced hostility and cognitive rumination, as well as the role of neuroticism as a moderator. 01). As predicted, social undermining was significantly associated with employee outcomes, in most cases more strongly than was social support. This meta-analysis draws on social comparison theory to examine studies of envy in the workplace and develop a comprehensive model of the antecedents and consequences of workplace envy. The guide also offers specific advice for how to address We reveal the double-edged effects of workplace upward social comparison on subsequent learning behaviors and social undermining through a cognitive rather than emotional lens. e. , 1998, Baumeister and Vohs, 2003, Tice and Bratslavsky, 2000) to link daily family experience and daily employee workplace behavior by examining how and when daily family undermining, a subtle and insidious form of aggression involving the display of negative emotions and Jan 1, 2017 · Social undermining has received a great deal of attention since it was introduced by Duffy, Ganster, and Pagon (2002). Abstract. High levels of undermining and support from the same Nov 11, 2022 · Based on the conservation of resources theory, this study developed a model linking social undermining to employees helping behaviors and work role performance via expression of guilt, with religious faith possessed by employees as a first-stage moderator. DUFFY University of Kentucky DANIEL C. The results reveal that upward social comparison is associated with both benign and malicious envy, which in turn respectively relate to informal workplace learning and social undermining behavior. Crossref Multilevel analyses showed that workplace bullying is associated with emotional exhaustion (γ = 0. , 2002, 2006). We contend that religious faith that commands doing good with others further provides resources for managing these negative emotions to unleash a positive side of social undermining, such that the relation of social undermining with an expression of guilt will be strengthened. We argued and predicted that attitudinal and behavioral reactions to undermining (from supervisors and coworkers) would be Feb 1, 2023 · Workplace incivility (WI), since its formalization as a research construct in 1999, has come to occupy an increasingly important place in scientific discourse, resulting in exponential growth in its research output. Jul 13, 2022 · Social undermining in the workplace is defined as behavior intended to hinder, over time, a worker’s ability to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships, work-related success, and a favorable reputation (Duffy et al. Apr 11, 2020 · Aims. The current study focuses on rumors and gossip as ‘tools’ used by perpetrators of Aug 10, 2023 · Although highly undesirable and a negative social phenomenon among employees, WO differs from other dysfunctional behaviors in organizations that include acts of exclusion, workplace harassment, incivility, bullying, deviance, and social undermining , which can largely be observed as interactions. This behavior can often be attributed to certain feelings, such as dislike or anger. Social Undermining in Public Sector Organizations: Examining its… of the relationship was moderate to high. Negative comments can cause your insecurities to rise to the surface and this nudges an emotional response. , abusive supervision, bullying, incivility, social undermining, and interpersonal conflict) and argue that the manner in which we have differentiated these (and other) aggression constructs does not add appreciably to our knowledge of workplace aggression. In Study 1, a two-wave study of hospital employees, results support the prediction that the mediated effect of envy on social undermining Jan 26, 2022 · Social undermining is a workplace stressor that manifests in different forms which may affect employees’ own feelings about themselves, confining self-control and their abilities to perform their work task creativity. The presence of social undermining may threaten an employee’s success and reputation within the workplace . Unfortunately, much of the current research and measurement focuses on workplace well-being from only one perspective (i. Jun 28, 2019 · Who responds most strongly to supervisor social undermining? Building on self-verification theory (Swann, 1983, 1987), we theorize that employees with positive views of the self (i. Examples of undermining behaviors include rejecting or belittling someone’s ideas, failing to defend The social context of undermining behavior at work MK Duffy, DC Ganster, JD Shaw, JL Johnson, M Pagon Organizational behavior and human decision processes 101 (1), 105-126 , 2006 Mar 24, 2011 · In this paper, I consider five example constructs (i. Within their meta-analysis of mistreatment outcomes, Bowling and Beehr combined multiple forms of mistreatment including abusive supervision, bullying, emotional abuse, generalized workplace abuse, incivility, interpersonal conflict, mobbing, social undermining, victimization, and workplace aggression. The extant research focused on the victim’s perspective; however, actor’s perspective has been overlooked so far. Mar 16, 2017 · Development of four self-report measures of job stressors and strain: Interpersonal Conflict at Work Scale, Organizational Constraints Scale, Quantitative Workload Inventory, and Physical Symptoms Inventory. Jan 1, 2021 · Social undermining is defined as “behavior intended to hinder, over time, the ability to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships, work-related success, and favorable reputation” (Duffy, Ganster, & Pagon, 2002, p. For this, a psychological cognitive factor such as creative self-efficacy and cultural value namely power distance orientation have been examined based on social cognitive theory. 187, t = 4. High levels of undermining and support from the same source were associated with negative outcomes The strength of the mediated relationship between envy and social under mining (via moral disengagement) varies de. ” May 25, 2022 · Duffy et al. Though workplace bullying is conceptualized as an organizational problem, there remains a gap in understanding the contexts in which bullying manifests—knowledge vital for addressing bullying in practice. (2002) proposed that social undermining refers to covert behaviors that chronically and intentionally impede the establishment and maintenance of positive interpersonal relationships with others, interfere with their success at work, and undermine their good reputations. In Study 1, a two-wave study of hospital employees, results support the prediction that the mediated effect of envy on social undermining behavior through moral disengagement is stronger when employees Oct 8, 2015 · Focusing on four mistreatment constructs (viz. Lastly, several studies have indicated that social undermining is a cyclical process and can spiral into further unethical behav-iors at work such as seeking revenge against underminers (Crossley, 2009; Duffy et We developed a fairness theory perspective to explain the experience of being "singled out" for social undermining from supervisors and coworkers, and tested our predictions across four distinct social contexts. Authors: Michelle K Duffy. Aug 25, 2023 · Summary. We ask the following questions: For whom is workplace aggression more, or less, detrimental? Moreover, what can target employees and the organization do We study employee taking charge behavior in a team context and investigate how it influences social consequences in work teams. Nov 1, 2022 · Examples of workplace social undermining behavior include withholding needed information and help, and poaching customers, which could directly affect the performance of targeted workers; and ostracizing and spreading rumors, which could induce psychological withdrawal and lower organizational commitment, thereby indirectly affecting targeted work role performance for improving the situation. Social undermining occurs when an employee experiences a threat to his/her sense of belonging due to the negative actions of his/her coworkers . A. An interactive model of social undermining and social support in the workplace was developed and tested among police officers in the Republic of Slovenia. Supervisors and co-workers are “the most important functional and social constituencies in an organisation” (Duffy et al. As an aggressive tool, for example, withholding information Jul 14, 2022 · Social undermining in the workplace is defined as behavior intended to hinder, over time, a worker’s ability to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships, work-related success, and a favorable reputation (Duffy et al. Oct 17, 2017 · Negative workplace gossip generates social undermining and great side effects to employees. This behavior seeks to interfere with work relationships by influencing how coworkers or supervisors view the victim. Furthermore, this study argues that employee bottom-line mentality will exacerbate the positive relationship between supervisor social undermining and coworker and differences between social undermining and two broad categories of negative or antisocial be-haviors, employee deviance and aggression. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 3, 356 – 367. Our findings demonstrate how and why workplace upward social comparison drives employees to develop two distinct behavioral responses, from a novel theoretical Some negative consequences of workplace gossip are: Erosion of trust and morale. We examine the relationship between workplace envy and social undermining - the insidious act of dragging down others. , 2012; Eissa and Wyland, 2015) and that LMXSC has a negative relationship with social undermining via envy (Pan et al. Assess the situation and determine how to Apr 1, 2002 · An interactive model of social undermining and social support in the workplace was developed and tested among police officers in the Republic of Slovenia. Apr 5, 2024 · Increasing demands to be seen as authentic at work have created a paradox of self-presentation for employees: the desire to be seen as simultaneously true to self and professionally appropriate in workplace interactions. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44: 350–383. We developed a fairness theory perspective to explain the experience of being "singled out" for social undermining from supervisors and coworkers, and tested our predictions across four distinct social contexts. Constant criticism, nitpicking, and undermining remarks chip away at an individual's sense of Jul 24, 2019 · Greenbaum R, Mawritz M, Eissa G (2012) Bottom-line mentality as an antecedent of social undermining and the moderating roles of core self-evaluations and conscientiousness. 751, SE = 0. (2002, p. The role of self-efficacy in this relationship has not been explored in previous research; therefore, it is proposed that self-efficacy acts as a moderator. 2008. Sep 8, 2012 · Abstract. Feeling undermined, unappreciated, or unsupported by a colleague when you’re both in the same meeting can lead to loss of trust, along with feelings of self-doubt and lack of confidence Aug 22, 2019 · An interactive model of social undermining and social support in the workplace was developed and tested among police officers in the Republic of Slovenia. Negatively challenge your work or attack your work values in the office. 215, t = 2. We extend this narrow Feb 8, 2018 · The findings and extant literature suggests that depending on: contents, functions, and the situational and motivational contexts, perpetrators of bullying and mobbing may use rumors and gossip: 1) for maintenance of oppression and social dominance; 2) as an expression of envy and social undermining; 3) as a weapon to humiliate subordinates by Jul 19, 2012 · Social undermining in the workplace. Google Scholar; Elfenbein H. It's done on purpose and with a negative goal in mind. Furthermore, rumination mediated the relationship between workplace bullying and its potential detrimental Jul 26, 2021 · Drawing upon the transactional theory of stress, we investigated the influencing mechanism between relational job crafting and workplace loneliness and its boundary condition from a social interaction perspective. , from supervisors and coworkers), and (3) explore the robustness of the theory An interactive model of social undermining and social support in the workplace was developed and tested among police officers in the Republic of Slovenia. April 2002. 5X as likely as men leaders to have switched jobs because their workload was unmanageable. 331 Mar 6, 2023 · Supervisor to coworker social undermining: The moderating roles of bottom-line mentality and self-efficacy. nz lm cs mf mf gp sb is vm pr