Investigating the effect of abusive supervision on work engagement through the role of employee creativity: the moderating effect of interpersonal communication competence

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the negative effect of abusive supervision on employees’ work engagement via the mediating role of employee creativity and examines how interpersonal communication competence (ICC) buffers the negative effect of abusive supervision on work engagement and employee creativity. The Conservation of Resources (COR) theory was employed to explain the theoretical model. Data were collected from employees working in various organisations. Participants were recruited using a combination of recruitment methods and completed the survey via an online platform. Five hundred fifteen (55.7% were male) responses were included after dropping participants who failed to complete all three phases of data collection and the attention check items. The measurement model analysis suggested that the theoretical model was supported. The results supported all hypotheses in this study. Abusive supervision negatively predicted work engagement and employee creativity. In addition, the negative effect of abusive supervision on employee creativity and work engagement was stronger for those with low ICC. This study also found that the indirect negative effect of abusive supervision on work engagement through employee creativity was stronger for employees with low than high ICC. Discussion, implications, and limitations are included.

KEYWORDS:

• Abusive supervision
• interpersonal communication
• creativity
• work engagement
• employees

Disclosure statement

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

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to some restrictions but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee (the ethical clearance was approved by the first author affiliation) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all participants in the study.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.