When does abusive supervision foster ineffectual and defensive silence? Employee self-efficacy and fear as contingencies

Abstract

This study investigates the relationships between abusive supervision and two forms of silence, ineffectual and defensive; the moderating role of self-efficacy in the association between abusive supervision and ineffectual silence and the contingency role of fear in the relationship between abusive supervision and defensive silence. We collected data from 685 employees in manufacturing companies. Of these, 271 were incomplete questionnaires and were excluded from the study; the remaining 414 responses were assessed in the analyses. The results indicate that abusive supervision fosters ineffectual and defensive silence. Moreover, the results suggest that even if supervisors are abusive, individuals with a higher level of self-efficacy tend to have a lower level of ineffectual silence. Furthermore, fear strengthens the link between abusive supervision and defensive silence. According to our knowledge, this work is the first to investigate the relationship between abusive supervision and ineffectual silence, the contingency role of self-efficacy in the link between abusive supervision and ineffectual silence and the moderating role of fear in the relationship between abusive supervision and defensive silence.