Content area
Full text
Perceptions of interactional justice have been shown to explain why employees engage in counterproductive work behaviors (CWB; Bies, 2005). However, the processes involved in this relationship have yet to be clarified. In this study, we drew on the cognitive theory of emotions and extended work published on the mediating role in this relationship (Fox & Spector, 1999) by conducting a survey with insurance company employees (N = 187). Data analyses confirmed that CWB are significantly predicted by both low perceived interactional justice and negative emotions. In addition, 2 significant mediation effects were observed: (a) perceived anger mediates the relationship between low perceived interpersonal justice and active CWB, and (b) perceived fear mediates the relationship between low perceived informational justice and passive CWB. The theoretical and organizational implications of these findings are discussed.
Keywords: counterproductive work behaviors, interactional justice, organizational justice, fear, anger.
Why do employees engage in counterproductive work behaviors (CWB)? What reasons can explain employees performing below their skill levels, taking sick leave without really being ill, or purposely falsifying their expense accounts? In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in CWB among organizational researchers. A large part of this work has been directed toward validating the integrity tests that human resources departments use to identify, and avoid hiring, counterproductive employees (Peterson, Griffith, Isaacson, O'Connell, & Mangos, 2011).
Other authors have focused on determining the causes of these behaviors (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990; Hodson, 2004). In one of the most influential approaches, researchers have examined CWB from a cognitive and motivational perspective (Bies & Tripp, 1996) and suggested that CWB are the result of low perceived justice within the organization (see the meta-analyses published by Cohen-Charash & Spector, 2001; Colquitt, Cordon, Wesson, Porter, & Yee, 2001). This approach leads to a more complex conceptualization mat draws its inspiration from the cognitive theory of emotions, according to which CWB is considered as emotion-based responses to organizational environmental conditions (Chen & Spector, 1992; Fox & Spector, 1999; Spector, 1975; Storms & Spector, 1987). From this perspective, the role of negative emotions would appear to function as a mediator of the relationship between low perceived organizational justice and CWB. However, very few researchers have examined the role particular emotions play in specific behaviors,...