Understanding internal, external, and relational attributions for abusive supervision

Journal of Organizational BehaviorVolume 35, Issue 6 p. 871-891 Research Article Understanding internal, external, and relational attributions for abusive supervision James P. Burton, Corresponding Author James P. Burton College of Business, Department of Management, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, U.S.A.Correspondence to: James P. Burton, College of Business, Department of Management, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, U.S.A. E-mail: jburton@niu.eduSearch for more papers by this authorShannon G. Taylor, Shannon G. Taylor College of Business Administration, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorLarissa K. Barber, Larissa K. Barber College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this author James P. Burton, Corresponding Author James P. Burton College of Business, Department of Management, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, U.S.A.Correspondence to: James P. Burton, College of Business, Department of Management, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115, U.S.A. E-mail: jburton@niu.eduSearch for more papers by this authorShannon G. Taylor, Shannon G. Taylor College of Business Administration, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this authorLarissa K. Barber, Larissa K. Barber College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, U.S.A.Search for more papers by this author First published: 05 June 2014 https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1939Citations: 48Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary Despite abundant research on the consequences of perceived abusive supervision, less is known about how employees develop perceptions of supervisory abuse. Across two studies, we integrate classic and recent theoretical work on attributions to understand the causal explanations underlying employee perceptions of and reactions to abusive supervision. In the first study, we develop measures of internal, external, and relational attributions for perceived supervisor abuse. In the second study, we demonstrate that internal and external attributions are indirectly related to aggressive and citizenship behaviors through employees' perceptions of interactional justice. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Citing Literature Volume35, Issue6August 2014Pages 871-891 RelatedInformation