Employee engagement takes a hit when abusive leadership is on display

Abusive leadership traits are unfortunately more common in workplaces than we think. Aggressive behaviours are often seen behind closed doors or in private conversations. As a result, they can have serious consequences for employees on the receiving end of aggressive behaviours. Now, research suggests it’s employees with big career aspirations who suffer the most, and that’s a warning for any workplace with a bad manager.

Key points

• The research, which was conducted in South Korea and the United States, wanted to determine how aggressive leadership traits impact ‘taking charge behaviour’; an employee’s willingness to voluntarily and constructively contribute to their workplace and their personal goals
• Participants were ranked according to whether they actively seek positive opportunities for promotion or if they take a preventative approach and prioritise job security 
• Those who favoured career growth and development tended to alter their behaviours to comply with directions from a more abusive leader for fear of missing out on promotion 
• Employees focused on job security were just as likely to take charge as they did not feel an abusive leader could impact their career outcomes as much

First – the good news – is the study from the Stevens Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois Chicago didn’t find high levels of abusive leadership among its surveyed workplaces. That’s reminiscent of workforces across Australia where abusive leaders are less common. 

Yes, according to research by AIM, 72% of workers left their jobs because of poor leadership. However, inexperienced leaders are more likely to be the cause rather than an aggressive boss who shouts at and belittles their staff. 

That’s backed up by Howie Xu, Assistant Professor of Management at Stevens Institute and author of What Does Leaders’ Abuse Mean to Me?, the source of the latest insights into bad leaders.  

“Thankfully, abusive supervision isn’t too common, but when it happens it leaves employees far less likely to take the initiative and work to improve business practices,” Mr Xu explained. 

“We wanted to understand the cognitive factors behind that effect and ask how companies can shield their employees from the negative impact of bad bosses. We theorised that both the drive to obtain rewards (promotion, bonuses) and the drive to avoid punishments (maintain job security) would shape the way employees respond to abusive bosses.” 

Once the survey results from their South Korean and American participants were analysed it was clear that theory was off the mark. 

Employees focused on career progression reacted negatively to abuse and criticism from their leaders – as most of us would expect – but this led to a decline in taking-charge actions. Their belief that a manager had direct control over career opportunities was more impactful than a desire to positively act in a manner that conflicted with their manager’s approach.

Conversely, employees with a lesser focus on career progression were more confident in their actions. They did not believe their manager could harm their career growth, instead placing their trust in human resources and senior management if any ongoing issues arose.

So, what does that mean for you? Hopefully, there are no serious concerns regarding the quality of your leadership. But paying attention to the morale of your workforce, changes in their output and relationships with management is essential. You don’t want to lose employees who are committed to developing and giving back to your organisation in the long term. 

Helping managers who show harmful behaviours is equally important. They could be struggling with personal challenges and job frustrations, leading to them taking it out on other employees. Take the time to support them and work together on rebuilding relationships that may have become strained due to negative behaviours. 

“If a leader slips into abusive behaviour, our research suggests that they should not only apologise but also work to reassure employees of their value to the organisation,” Xu said.