Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-13-2023

Publication Title

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

Volume

35

Issue

11

First page number:

1

Last page number:

50

Abstract

Purpose: Drawing on attribution theory, this research examines how and when abusive supervision affects insubordination, focusing on employees’ attribution bias related to leader gender.

Methodology: Two mixed-method studies were used to test the proposed research framework. Study 1 adopted a 2 (abusive supervision: low vs. high) by 2 (leader gender: male vs. female) by employee gender-leadership bias quasi-experiment. A sample of 173 U.S. F&B employees completed Study 1. In Study 2, 116 hospitality employees responded to two-wave time-lagged surveys. They answered questions on abusive supervision and gender-leadership bias in Survey 1. Two weeks later, they reported negative external attribution (embodied in injury initiation) and insubordination.

Findings: Hayes’ PROCESS macro results verified a three-way moderated mediation. The threeway interaction among abusive supervision, leader gender, and gender-leadership bias affects external attribution, increasing insubordination. Employees with high leader-gender bias working under female leaders make more external attribution and engage in subsequent insubordination in the presence of abusive supervision.

Originality/ value: This study is one of the first that examines the mediating role of external attribution of abusive supervision. Second, this research explains the gender glass ceiling by examining employees’ attribution bias against female leaders.

Keywords

Abusive supervision; External attribution; leaders’ gender; Gender-leadership bias; employee insubordination

Disciplines

Hospitality Administration and Management | Leadership

File Format

pdf

File Size

648 KB

Language

English

Permissions

© Emerald Publishing Limited. This AAM is provided for your own personal use only. It may not be used for resale, reprinting, systematic distribution, emailing, or for any other commercial purpose without the permission of the publisher.

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Publisher Citation

Dongwon Yun, Cass Shum; An attribution account of the effects of leaders’ gender and abusive supervision on employee insubordination. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 3 November 2023; 35 (11): 3807–3824. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-11-2022-1334

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