An extension of uncertainty management theory to the self: The relationship between justice, social comparison orientation, and antisocial work behaviors.

Abstract

A multisource field study of 103 employees and their supervisors tested an extension of uncertainty management theory (E. A. Lind & K. . According to this theory, persons high in social comparison orientation (F. X. Gibbons & B. P. Buunk, 1999) experience chronic uncertainty about the self. It was hypothesized that this should strengthen the effects of interactional and procedural justice perceptions on antisocial work behaviors. As predicted, the negative relationship between employee perceptions of interactional justice and supervisory ratings of antisocial work behaviors was stronger for people who are high as compared with low in social comparison orientation. Results provide evidence for an extension of uncertainty management theory to the self-domain.

Benevolent Leadership and Interpersonal Deviant Behaviors in Higher Education

“…Findings are consistent with previous research suggesting that benevolent leadership is more likely to cause lower interpersonal deviance (Cheng et al, 2004;Farh et al, 2006;Thau, Aquino, & Wittek, 2007), higher psychological capital (Gardner et al, 2005;Karakas & Sarigollu, 2011;Karakas, 2009;Masten & Reed, 2002) and higher psychological ownership (Caldwell & Hayes, 2007;Burke et al, 2007, Karakas, Sarigollu, & Manisaligil, 2013Niu, Wang, & Chang, 2009). …”

“…The need to belong is a powerful, fundamental human need that individuals constantly strive to satisfy (Baumeister & Leary, 1995); when one's sense of belonging is thwarted (i.e., lower than desired), this can result in adverse reactions such as high interpersonal deviance (Thau, Aquino, & Wittek, 2007). Consistent with belongingness theory, research about benevolent leadership suggests that it encourages employees engage in more extra-role behaviors and commitment to their organizations which are the end-results of employees' need to belong, or to form strong positive interpersonal relationships, which in turn, lead to low levels of interpersonal deviance.…”

How management style moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and workplace deviance: An uncertainty management theory perspective

“…We also provide a test of the generalizability of UMT-previous tests of UMT are mostly experimental and investigate affective and attitudinal reactions to uncertainty Tangirala and Alge, 2006). Moreover, applications of UMT to explain harmful employee behaviors are scarce and have been limited to investigations of self-concept uncertainty (Colquitt et al, 2006;Thau et al, 2007). We extend this literature by investigating the moderating effect of situational sources of uncertainty.…”

“…Various writers have noted that the boundary effects of fairness-related information, which influences employees' reactions, are poorly established (Ambrose and Schminke, 2003;Colquitt and Greenberg, 2003;Cropanzano et al, 2001;Lind and Van den Bos, 2002;Thau et al, 2007). Some theoretical reviews (Colquitt and Greenberg, 2003;Cropanzano et al, 2001) suggest that assessing the situational context in which injustice occurs can help build a better understanding of when and why retaliatory reactions are less likely.…”

Employee Reactions to Leader-Initiated Crisis Preparation: Core Dimensions

“…A key observation by Van den Bos and Lind (2002) is that fairness information may reduce high levels of experienced uncertainty. This is because fairness reduces individuals' anxiety about being excluded or exploited by the organization (see also Lind and Van den Bos 2002;Thau et al 2007). …”