Mitigating abusive supervision’s negative effect on employee outcomes: the role of felt accountability

Purpose Abusive supervision can harm employee attitudes, behaviors, and well-being, but these effects are inconsistent. Using self-regulation theory, this study explores how perceived accountability (the perception of needing to justify one’s actions) moderates the relationships between abusive supervision and work outcomes, including job tension, counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs), organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), and job performance. Design/methodology/approach We used a time-lagged design with multiple data sources to evaluate our hypotheses. Findings We found that abusive supervision is positively related to job tension and CWBs for employees with low levels of felt accountability, while it is negatively associated with organizational commitment, OCBs, and job performance. Additionally, we found that these relationships become weaker for employees with higher levels of felt accountability. Practical implications Organizations can benefit from recognizing the protective role of felt accountability in countering the negative effects of perceived supervisor abuse. Boosting accountability can not only help them address the challenges of abusive supervision but also foster a more positive and supportive work environment. Originality/value This study emphasizes felt accountability as a self-regulatory boundary condition in the link between abusive supervision and work outcomes, providing a nuanced understanding of when and for whom the negative impacts of supervisory abuse can be lessened.