Why and When Abusive Supervision Evokes Unethical Pro‐Supervisor Behavior: A Conservation of Resources Perspective

ABSTRACT Drawing on conservation of resources theory, our study examines why and when abusive supervision provokes subordinates' unethical behaviors that benefit the supervisors, namely unethical pro‐supervisor behavior (UPSB). Based on a multi‐wave, multi‐source matched survey of 197 subordinates nested within 46 supervisors in China, the results show that abusive supervision is positively related to UPSB via subordinate moral disengagement, and that this positive indirect effect is stronger when supervisor moral identity symbolization is lower. Theoretical and managerial implications of our findings are discussed.