Lack of reciprocity, narcissism, anger, and instigated workplace incivility: A moderated mediation model

Abstract

The goal of the present research was to examine antecedents of uncivil behaviour towards coworkers and supervisors. Based on Spector's model (e.g., Spector & Fox, 2005a), we investigated the role of work characteristics (lack of reciprocity in the relationship with one's organization), personality (narcissism), and work-related anger simultaneously. We predicted that anger mediates the relationship between lack of reciprocity and incivility, and that this mediation is particularly strong among narcissistic employees (moderated mediation). As predicted, in our sample of 197 employees, anger—at least partially—mediated the relationship between lack of reciprocity and incivility. Moreover, this indirect effect was stronger among narcissists. Results further showed that narcissism moderated the first part (lack of reciprocity → anger) but not the second part (anger → incivility) of the mediation chain. Examining both mediation and moderation in a unified framework shed light on the issue of where in the process moderation occurs, thus deepening our understanding of the interplay between work characteristics and personality. In addition to anger, our results suggest mediating processes that do not require strong affect may be characteristic especially for uncivil behaviour as compared to more intense forms of counterproductive behaviour.

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