Linking Supervisor Negative Workplace Gossip with Employee Thriving at Work: A Perspective of Attribution Theory

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20230614

Abstract

Abstract:

Thriving at work refers to an individual’s experience of vitality and learning at workplace and marks individual’s growth and progress. Thriving at work is of great importance to both individuals and organizations from the perspective of positive organizational behavior. Previous research has suggested that work situations, such as social interactions, are important factors shaping employees’ thriving at work. Based on this, research on the impact of leadership behavior, a key work situation, on employees’ thriving at work is emerging. However, such research mainly focuses on the influence of a few leadership behaviors, which makes the leadership factors that may affect employees’ thriving at work to be insufficiently explored. Drawing upon the attribution theory, this study examined how supervisor negative workplace gossip negatively affects thriving at work by reducing employees’ job self-efficacy. The moderating role of internal attribution and external attribution were also examined.

To test the hypotheses in our model, we conducted a survey on 226 employees from several companies located in China. The survey was conducted in two waves. In the first wave, employees were asked to complete a questionnaire, including demographic information (gender, age, tenure), perceived supervisor positive workplace gossip, perceived supervisor negative workplace gossip, relational attribution, internal attribution, and external attribution. In the second wave, employees reported job self-efficacy and thriving at work. We tested our hypotheses with PROCESS macro for SPSS.

The results indicated that internal attribution strengthens the relationship between supervisor negative workplace gossip and job self-efficacy, whereas external attribution weakens the relationship between and supervisor negative workplace gossip and job self-efficacy. Job self-efficacy is positively related to employees’ thriving at work. The indirect effect of supervisor negative workplace gossip on thriving at work via job self-efficacy was stronger when employees had a low level of external attribution.

This study makes several contributions. First, this study uses the attribution theory to explain the influence mechanism of supervisors’ negative workplace gossip on employees’ thriving at work, expanding the theoretical perspective and outcomes of negative workplace gossip. Second, we contribute to the literature on antecedents of thriving at work by applying supervisor negative workplace gossip to the field of leadership and revealing how and when this stressor inhibits employees’ thriving. To our knowledge, we are the first to provide evidence for the negative effect of supervisor negative workplace gossip on employees’ thriving, thus broadening the understanding of the role of leaders’ informal communication behaviors in the development of employees’ thriving. Finally, drawing upon the attribution theory, we clarify that internal and external attribution are moderators, noting that individual characteristics play a vital role in the formation of employees’ thriving. Our results also offer implications on the practical interventions that organizations can take to develop a thriving workforce.

Key words: negative workplace gossip, job self-efficacy, attribution, thriving at work

摘要： 基于归因理论,本研究探讨了上级职场负面八卦影响员工工作繁荣的作用机制和边界条件。对226份调查问卷的分析结果表明：内部归因强化了上级职场负面八卦与工作自我效能感之间的负向关系,外部归因弱化了上级职场负面八卦与工作自我效能感之间的负向关系;外部归因调节了工作自我效能感在上级职场负面八卦与工作繁荣之间的中介作用,表现为有调节的中介。

关键词: 职场负面八卦, 工作自我效能感, 归因, 工作繁荣

Zhu Qianlin, Wei Feng. Linking Supervisor Negative Workplace Gossip with Employee Thriving at Work: A Perspective of Attribution Theory[J]. Journal of Psychological Science, 2023, 46(6): 1383-1390.

朱千林, 魏峰. 上级职场负面八卦与员工工作繁荣：归因理论的视角^*[J]. 心理科学, 2023, 46(6): 1383-1390.

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