Target Meaning-Making of Workplace Incivility Based on Perceived Personality Similarity with Perpetrators

Abstract

Target meaning-making of incivility (i.e., the ways targets assess uncivil events) has received attention as an important mediating mechanism in explaining the varied outcomes of incivility. The present study draws on person-environment (PE) fit theory, as well as the similarity-attraction paradigm and repulsion hypothesis, to uncover how perceived personality (dis)similarity affects both cognitive (i.e., attribution, negative appraisal) and emotional reactions (i.e., hostility) to incivility. Specifically, we examine whether incongruence between target personality and perceived perpetrator personality worsens target meaning-making (vice versa for personality congruence). Study 1 (N = 479 employees) addressed (dis)similarity in agreeableness, while Study 2 (N = 296 working adults) addressed (dis)similarity in neuroticism. Based on polynomial regressions with response surface modeling, the results generally supported the hypotheses. Along the line of dissimilarity, targets often assessed (i.e., attributed intent to, appraised, reacted emotionally to) uncivil events more negatively when they perceived personality dissimilarity with perpetrators. However, similarity in personality did not always have the opposite effect by buffering against negative assessments; meaning-making was worse when both parties scored high on neuroticism. Implications for workplace incivility and PE fit literatures are discussed, along with practical implications that highlight information elaboration and perspective taking.

Keywords:

• Attribution
• cognitive appraisal
• emotion
• personality
• workplace incivility

Acknowledgments

We thank Jana Raver, Lilia M. Cortina, and Boris B. Baltes for their feedback on this project.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lisa A. Marchiondo

Lisa A. Marchiondo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Organizational Studies at the Anderson School of Management, University of New Mexico. Her research centers on interpersonal mistreatment at work (e.g., incivility, ageism, discrimination), leadership, and diversity in organizations.

Benjamin Biermeier-Hanson

Benjamin Biermeier-Hanson, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Radford University. His primary research interests include leadership, organizational culture, and person-environment fit.

Daniel R. Krenn

Daniel R. Krenn, MA, is a doctoral candidate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Wayne State University who serves as a data analyst for NASA's Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity. His research interests include workplace aggression and discrimination, organizational processes (e.g., hiring), fairness/accuracy, and work-life balance.

Dana Kabat-Farr

Dana Kabat-Farr, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Management in the Rowe School of Business at Dalhousie University. Her research investigates workplace social experiences, including incivility, sexual harassment, and citizenship behaviors that affect employee and organizational well-being.