Impact of abusive supervision on employees’ contempt and job involvement: does psychological hardiness help?

Purpose This study examined the effects of abusive supervision on employees’ contempt and job involvement. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, this study also explored the moderating role of psychological hardiness. Design/methodology/approach A time-lagged field survey was conducted, and the data were collected from a sample of 188 employees working in various organizations. Findings The findings demonstrate that abusive supervision is positively related to employee contempt. The findings also reveal that psychological hardiness weakens this relationship. In other words, abusive supervision is less likely to develop feelings of contempt among the subordinates with high psychological hardiness. Practical implications The findings guide managers to understand that abusive supervision can lead to contempt among subordinates, which is detrimental to achieving optimal performance in the workplace. The findings also suggest that training interventions should be implemented to develop psychological hardiness in employees. Originality/value This study contributes to the domains of leadership and the conservation of resources theory and suggests that abusive supervision triggers employees’ feelings of contempt. Furthermore, psychological hardiness may act as a psychological resource that helps mitigate the harmful effects of abusive supervision.