Testing the reciprocal associations among co-worker incivility, organisational inefficiency, and work-related exhaustion: A one-year, cross-lagged study

ABSTRACT

In spite of the considerable number of studies on co-worker incivility, knowledge on this topic needs to be further enhanced. In particular, no studies have focused on the reciprocal nature of the relationship of incivility with other important aspects of working life, i.e. employee well-being and the quality of the working process. The aim of the present study was to examine the cross-lagged associations among co-worker incivility, work-related exhaustion, and organisational efficiency in a sample of healthcare workers. Based on the conservation of resource theory, we hypothesised that those three variables affect each other reciprocally over the time. Data from a two-wave study design (with a one-year time lag) were utilised, and cross-lagged structural equation models were performed. Results confirmed that incivility and efficiency affected each other reciprocally over time. On the other hand, whereas incivility positively predicted exhaustion and exhaustion at inversely predicted organisational efficiency, the opposite paths were found to be not significant. The study suggests that efficiency is crucial for understanding incivility because it operates both as its cause and as its outcome. Interventions aimed at promoting civility and respect in the workplace may help prevent co-worker incivility, work-related exhaustion, and enhance organisational efficiency.

KEYWORDS:

• Co-worker incivility
• work-related exhaustion
• organisational efficiency
• cross-lagged associations
• conservation of resources theory (COR)

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the anonymous reviewers and to the editor for the suggestions provided during the review process and to have encouraged us to adopt a multilevel approach to control for the nesting nature of the data while testing study hypotheses.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [CDC-NIOSH] [grant number R01 OH009948]. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CDC-NIOSH.