Influence of meaningfulness of work and leadership characteristics on customer-directed counterproductive work behavior resulting from customer mistreatment

ABSTRACT

This study explored the impact of customer mistreatment on counterproductive work behavior (CWB) and the moderating role of supervisor responses (self-sacrificial and self-serving leadership) to clarify why customer-directed CWB occurs and how it can be reduced. A sample of 392 customer-facing employees in the USA completed measures assessing the meaningfulness of work and self-sacrificial and self-serving leadership experiences. The meaningfulness of work moderated the relationship between customer mistreatment and employee anger, and a three-way interaction was found between employee anger and self-sacrificial and self-serving leadership on customer-directed CWB. Implications for managing customer mistreatment and fostering meaningful work to promote employee well-being are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Anger
• counterproductive work behavior
• customer mistreatment
• self-sacrificial leadership
• self-serving leadership

Disclosure statement

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

Ethics statement

All procedures performed in the study were conducted according to the ethical standards of the national research committee and in compliance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all the study participants.

Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed for the current study are available at DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/YBJMD

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/ybjmd

Submission declaration

This article is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and all authors have approved its publication. If accepted, the manuscript will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or any other language, including electronically, without written consent from the copyright holder.

Additional information

Funding

The work for supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (71910107003).

Notes on contributors

Cynthia Atamba

Cynthia Atamba is a highly dedicated and experienced researcher and academic professional with a passion for creating a safe and decent work environment. She holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Science and Technology of China. With a focus on employee well-being, Atamba’s research interests span a range of topics, including emotions, customer mistreatment, and coping strategies. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed academic journals. Atamba is also actively engaged in community development initiatives and has served as a consultant for various international organizations. She is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in academia and works tirelessly to mentor and support underrepresented students in her field.

Qingxiong (Derek) Weng

Qingxiong (Derek) Weng is a professor in management at University of Science and Technology of China. He received his Ph.D. in Business Management in Huazhong university of Science and Technology, and continued his work as a postdoctoral researcher in Xi’an Jiaotong University and Ghent University. He has over 50 publications in journals such as Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, Applied Psychology, Human Performance, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, Journal of Knowledge Management, Journal of Career Development, and Australian Journal of Management. His research interest mainly focuses on vocational behavior and psychology, leadership, personnel assessment and selection.

Hussain Tariq

Hussain Tariq is an assistant professor at KFUPM Business School, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, KSA. He earned a PhD in Organizational Behavior from the School of Management at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, China. Before joining KFUPM, he held positions as an Assistant Professor of Management at NUST Business School (NBS), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), and as an Associate Member of the Centre for Cross-Cultural Management at the University of Wollongong, Australia. His research focuses on the root of destructive leader behaviors, structures, and practices that enhance teamwork and collective motivations in organizations. He has published his work in several reputed management journals such as International Journal of Hospitality Management, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Applied Psychology, Personnel Review, Employee Relations, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, and Business Ethics: A European Review amongst others.

Anastasiia Popelnukha

Anastasiia Popelnukha serves as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Science and Technology of China, where she also earned her PhD in business management. Her scholarly interests encompass a range of subjects including employee voice, future work self and planning behaviours. Additionally, she contributes to the academic community as an ad hoc reviewer for Journal of Vocational Behaviour and Journal of Business Ethics.

Yan Qi

Yan Qi has a master’s degree from the School of Management at the University of Science and Technology of China. Her research focuses on leadership, humor, and behavioral ethics.