The generation and influence of colleague-oriented deviant behavior

Purpose The colleague-oriented deviant behavior greatly affects the sustainable development of enterprises. Research on how colleague-oriented deviant behavior occurs and its consequences is limited. This empirical study will explore what factors lead to colleague-directed deviant behavior and what consequences will occur when colleague-directed deviant behavior occurs from three aspects: organizational management model, workplace deviant behavior and employee psychology. Design/methodology/approach The paired data of 283 employees and supervisors were collected using a seven-point scale to assess important concepts such as abusive supervision, negative colleague-directed behaviors, emotional exhaustion and negative affective traits. Structural relationships among these factors were analyzed using principal component analysis and exploratory factor analysis, employing a simultaneous equation model. Findings The findings suggest that abusive supervision (external factor) and negative emotional traits (internal factor) produce negative colleague-oriented deviant behavior, and when negative colleague-oriented behavior is produced, employees experience emotional exhaustion. In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between employees’ emotional exhaustion and employees’ working years, with the more the employees’ working years, the less likely they were to be emotionally exhausted by negative colleague-oriented deviant behavior. Originality/value This study is the first to show that the colleague-oriented deviant behavior can lead to emotional exhaustion among employees, especially those with fewer years of experience. Organizations should improve business ethics by reducing abusive supervision, increasing the proportion of employees with longer working experience and opening professional psychological counseling services to mitigate the generation and influence of colleague-oriented deviant behavior.