The Indirect Role of Passive-Avoidant and Transformational Leadership through Job and Team Level Stressors on Workplace Cyberbullying

Abstract

Research on workplace cyberbullying (WCB) is still scarce and needs verification. This study addressed the indirect influence of positive and negative leadership on WCB via perceived role stressors and negative team climate. The main goal is to test the applicability of the work environment hypothesis and job demands–resources model for WCB on a cross-sectional sample of n = 583 workers in Germany (n = 334) and Spain (n = 249). We tested multiple mediation models, and findings revealed that negative (passive-avoidant) leadership increased role and team stressors and thereby WCB exposure, whereas positive (transformational) leadership decreased the same stressors and thereby reduced WCB exposure. No cross-cultural differences were found, indicating portability of the results. This study highlights the explanatory factors for WCB at individual and team level and emphasizes the role of managers as shapers of the work environmental antecedents of WCB in the emergent digitalized working world. Theoretical implications and future research avenues are discussed.

Changing the Underlying Conditions Relevant to Workplace Bullying through Organisational Redesign

“…The relationship between leadership styles and workplace bullying has been another focal point. The findings of these studies showed that some leadership styles, such as transformational leadership [35,36] and authentic leadership [37,38], are consistently associated with lower reports of bullying exposure. In contrast, destructive leadership styles tend to have a positive relationship with bullying exposure, particularly laissez-faire leadership [39], and non-contingent punishment and autocratic leadership [40].…”

İş Yaşaminda E-Kelepçe Ve Di̇ji̇tal Mobbi̇ng

“…For example, if a trainee doctor makes a mistake on the job and is harassed via e-mail because of this mistake, he may perceive that he brought this harassment on himself due to his incompetence. Czakert and Berger (2022), in a cross-cultural study conducted in Spain and Germany using multiple mediation models, found that negative (passive-avoidant) leadership increases role and team stressors and thus exposure to cyberbullying in the workplace, whereas positive (transformational) leadership reduces the same stressors and thus reduces exposure to cyberbullying in the workplace. As a result, no cross-cultural differences were found.…”