Will it only increase abusive supervision? How will supervisors interact with the subordinates with a competence advantage?

Purpose This study aims to examine not only how high-performance or competent subordinates affect abusive supervision, focusing on its transmission mechanism and the boundary conditions involved in the process. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 291 supervisor-subordinate dyads in China using a time-lagged and multisource methods and hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings The results indicate that subordinates’ competence advantage has a positive indirect effect on abusive supervision through perceived threat to status and a negative indirect effect on abusive supervision through positive affective experience. In other words, subordinates’ competence advantage exerts a double-edged sword effect on abusive supervision. Furthermore, supervisor-subordinate guanxi moderates both of these two indirect relationships. Originality/value This study helps to understand how supervisors interact with high-performance or competent employees. It also contributes to understanding how subordinates’ competence advantage, as a double-edged sword, influences abusive supervision through specific mechanisms and boundary conditions.