Does toxic leadership influence employees’ defensive and aggressive reactions: threat as a mediating mechanism

Purpose This study examines the impact of toxic leadership on employees' fear-based silence (FBS) and counterproductive behavior (CWB) and examines threat appraisal as a mediating mechanism. It also investigates the influence of employees’ resilience in moderating the relationship between toxic leadership and threat appraisal. Design/methodology/approach To test the proposed model, data were collected in two waves from 275 employees working in the Indian services sector. Variance-based structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the proposed relationships. Findings The results demonstrate the direct influence of threat appraisal on FBS and CWB. The study also illustrates the mediating effect of threat appraisal in the association between toxic leadership and FBS and CWB. The moderating effect of resilience was not significant. Originality/value The present study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on toxic leadership by investigating employees’ aggressive (CWB) and defensive (FBS) reactions within a single research framework. Further, it also suggests a mediating mechanism linking toxic leadership and employees’ reactions.