Organizational Behaviour in the COVID-19 Context: Effects of Supervisor-Directed Deviance on Retaliation against Subordinates

ABSTRACT

Previous research mostly examines supervisor-directed deviance as a subordinate's reaction to the supervisor's abusive behaviour while ignoring the perspective of supervisors as potential victims of deviant behaviour. Additionally, COVID-19 has deeply affected organizational climate and workplace behaviour. Therefore, drawing on the affective events theory, we examined the COVID-19 pandemic as a context shaping the effects of supervisor-directed deviance on retaliation against subordinates in the United States. We conducted two quasi-experiments with pre- and post-COVID-19 (Study 1, n = 97) and Wave 1-Wave 3 pandemic study designs (Study 2, n = 94), respectively, and found that supervisor-directed deviance triggered felt leader identity threat, consequently leading to retaliation against subordinates;this indirect effect strengthened as the pandemic progressed. We replicated these findings using a field study during the third wave of the pandemic (Study 3, n = 190), which established external validity by expanding the types of deviant and retaliatory behaviours examined. The results further showed that low COVID-19-induced empathic concern strengthened the effect of felt leader identity threat on retaliatory responses. Overall, our paper contributes to the literatures on retaliation and supervisor-directed deviance and opens avenues for research on the pandemic's impact on organizational behaviour.