The destructiveness of laissez-faire leadership behavior.

Abstract

The aim of the study is to test the assumption that laissez-faire leadership behavior is not a type of zero-leadership, but a type of destructive leadership behavior that shows systematic relationships with workplace stressors, bullying at work, and psychological distress. A survey of 2,273 Norwegian employees was conducted and analyzed. Laissez-faire leadership was positively correlated with role conflict, role ambiguity, and conflicts with coworkers. Path modeling showed that these stressors mediated the effects of laissez-faire leadership on bullying at work and that the effects of laissez-faire leadership on distress were mediated through the workplace stressors, especially through exposure to bullying. The results support the assumption that laissez-faire leadership behavior is a destructive leadership behavior.

Workers' perception of workplace bullying: A cross-cultural study

“…Thus, according to the definition of power distance provided by House et al (2004, p. 12), it could be argued that in both Southern Europe and Central America, where there exists high levels of male domination, work relations facilitate some top-down behaviours that could be commonly understood as workplace bullying. This is in line with other studies on this topic (Aryee, Sun, Xiong, & Debrah, 2007;Skogstad, Einarsen, Torsheim, Schanke, & Hetland, 2007) and the so-called ''macho culture'' (Tedeschi & Bond, 2001). The difference between the course participants and the service participants is likely to be explained by their motivation and interest in the topic, which could have led them to be better informed about the phenomenon of workplace bullying.…”

A time-lagged analysis of the effect of authentic leadership on workplace bullying, burnout, and occupational turnover intentions

“…Logically, authentic leaders create work environments that would not be expected to condone bullying. Bullying is common in stressful work environments that frustrate employees' efforts to accomplish their work goals for a variety of reasons, including role overload, unrealistic expectations, and role ambiguity (Hauge et al, 2007;Skogstad, Einarsen, Torsheim, & Aasland, 2007). These conditions seem unlikely when nursing leaders consistently interact with followers in an open transparent manner and demonstrate integrity when making decisions that affect employees.…”

Acoso psicológico en el trabajo: revisión de la literatura y nuevas líneas de investigación

“…Por su parte, Leymann 2 encontró que el acoso estaba más frecuentemente asociado con un estilo débil de liderazgo. En esta línea, diversos autores 24,25 han señalado que el estilo de liderazgo "laissez-faire" o pasivo se relacionaba positivamente el acoso, y que además fortalecía la relación entre ciertas variables psicosociales y el acoso. Estos resultados muestran que el estilo "laissez-faire" no es un tipo de liderazgo neutro, sino más bien una forma destructiva de liderazgo que crea un entorno estresante donde el acoso puede prosperar con mayor facilidad.…”