COHFA | Psychology: Completed Projects

When Should You Watch Your Back: Predictors of Workplace Sabotage

Academic Level at Time of Presentation

Senior

Major

Psychology

Minor

Marketing

List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)

Jana Hackathorn, Ph.D.

Presentation Format

Oral Presentation

Abstract/Description

As it is possible that the cost of sabotage can include negative health and economic consequences, applied researchers are often looking for appropriate or reliable predictors (Branch, et al., 2012). The current research investigated the relationship between likelihood to sabotage and other negative workplace behaviors such as organizational deviance, hostility, and motivation. It was expected that organizational deviance and hostility would both positively predict sabotage. Additionally it was expected that extrinsic motivation, as opposed to intrinsic, would also predict sabotage.

Participants (N = 91) were recruited through SONA, an online system recruitment management system maintained by the psychology department. Participants were asked to come into a lab and complete an essay about a highly desirable job. After completion of the essay, participants completed a survey containing the following measures: Work motivation, expression of hostility, sabotage willingness, organizational deviance, and the balanced inventory of desirable responding.

To test our hypothesis, we first conducted bivariate correlational analysis. Motivation was not related to sabotage, thus analysis concerning that predictor was ceased. However, organizational deviance and hostility were both highly correlated with sabotage. Using the PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2012-2016) for SPSS the results indicated that the indirect effect was significant (SE = .20, CI [.09 to .38]). That is, organizational deviance is only related to sabotage through hostility. Importantly, this finding replicates past findings (Judge, Scott, & Ilies, 2006), but also expands our ability to correctly identify the influence of personal traits on one’s willingness to sabotage. Implications will be discussed.

Location

Classroom 210, Waterfield Library

Start Date

November 2016

End Date

November 2016

Affiliations

Psychology: Completed Projects

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS
 
Nov 18th, 1:00 PM Nov 18th, 3:30 PM

When Should You Watch Your Back: Predictors of Workplace Sabotage

Classroom 210, Waterfield Library

As it is possible that the cost of sabotage can include negative health and economic consequences, applied researchers are often looking for appropriate or reliable predictors (Branch, et al., 2012). The current research investigated the relationship between likelihood to sabotage and other negative workplace behaviors such as organizational deviance, hostility, and motivation. It was expected that organizational deviance and hostility would both positively predict sabotage. Additionally it was expected that extrinsic motivation, as opposed to intrinsic, would also predict sabotage.

Participants (N = 91) were recruited through SONA, an online system recruitment management system maintained by the psychology department. Participants were asked to come into a lab and complete an essay about a highly desirable job. After completion of the essay, participants completed a survey containing the following measures: Work motivation, expression of hostility, sabotage willingness, organizational deviance, and the balanced inventory of desirable responding.

To test our hypothesis, we first conducted bivariate correlational analysis. Motivation was not related to sabotage, thus analysis concerning that predictor was ceased. However, organizational deviance and hostility were both highly correlated with sabotage. Using the PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2012-2016) for SPSS the results indicated that the indirect effect was significant (SE = .20, CI [.09 to .38]). That is, organizational deviance is only related to sabotage through hostility. Importantly, this finding replicates past findings (Judge, Scott, & Ilies, 2006), but also expands our ability to correctly identify the influence of personal traits on one’s willingness to sabotage. Implications will be discussed.