A social exchange examination of upper-level management and supervisor organizational embodiment: the roles of supervisor psychological contract fulfillment and conscientiousness

ABSTRACT

In effort to extend supervisor organizational embodiment (SOE) research, we integrate social exchange and psychological contract theories to examine and explain how upper-level management impacts SOE. We propose that when upper-level managers demonstrate ethical leadership, middle-level supervisors are likely to reciprocate positively by acting as organizational agents who embody the key attributes of their organizations. Conversely, when upper-level managers demonstrate abusive management, middle-level supervisors are likely to reciprocate negatively by acting as independent agents who reject the key attributes of their organizations. We also position and find support that supervisor psychological contract fulfillment (PCF) mediates the relationships between (1) upper-level managerial ethical leadership and SOE and (2) upper-level abusive management and SOE. Additionally, high levels of supervisor conscientiousness strengthened these relationships. In summary, results from a multi-source field study support our proposed first-stage moderated-mediation model. Implications, limitations, and future research are noted.

KEYWORDS:

• Abusive management
• conscientiousness
• ethical leadership
• psychological contract fulfillment
• social exchange theory
• supervisor organizational embodiment

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data described in this article are openly available in the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/qn893/?view_only=6df8dafa508040f5ad1023b879dbe2a1.

Open scholarship

This article has earned the Center for Open Science badges for Open Data and Open Materials through Open Practices Disclosure. The data and materials are openly accessible at https://osf.io/qn893/?view_only=6df8dafa508040f5ad1023b879dbe2a1.

Notes

1. Survey instruments, raw data, and results files can be viewed at https://osf.io/qn893/?view_only=6df8dafa508040f5ad1023b879dbe2a1.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Darryl B. Rice

Darryl B. Rice, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Management at Miami University. His research interests are behavioral ethics, organizational justice, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

MaQueba Massey

MaQueba Massey is a PhD candidate at Jackson State University. Her research interests are ethics, financial literacy, and blockchain technology.

AnDrea Roberts

AnDrea Roberts is a doctoral student at University of St. Thomas. Her research interests are ethics and social justice.

Nathan Sterzenbach

Nathan Sterzenbach is a graduate of Miami University. His research interests are human capital management and leadership, marketing, and ethics.