How do subordinates react to perceived narcissistic supervision? The roles of perceived interactional justice and need for belonging

Purpose This paper aims to examine how and when perceived narcissistic supervision influences subordinates' work engagement and counterproductive work behavior (CWB) based on organizational justice theory. Design/methodology/approach Two-wave data were collected from 320 employees in a Chinese manufacturing company. Findings Subordinates' perceived interactional justice mediated the relationships between perceived narcissistic supervision and work engagement and CWB. Higher levels of subordinates' need for belonging strengthened the detrimental impacts of perceived narcissistic supervision on subordinates' outcomes. Practical implications Organizations should reduce the occurrence of narcissistic supervision, enhance subordinates' perception of interactional justice and pay more attention to subordinates' need for belonging in personnel and team arrangement. Originality/value Although research has documented the detrimental effects of perceived narcissistic supervision, little effort has been made to investigate how such effects occur and which factors might amplify such effects. This study identified the mechanism underlying the link between perceived narcissistic supervision and subordinates' outcomes and unpacked the moderating role of subordinates' need for belonging.