The Pragmatic Side of Workplace Heroics: A Self-Interest Perspective on Responding to Mistreatment in Work Teams
Abstract
Research on third-party reactions to workplace mistreatment has often focused on a moral
perspective, but has devoted limited attention to the role of self-interest. Drawing from a selfinterest perspective, we develop a conceptual model that examines how self-interest influences
third-party responses to mistreatment within work teams. Several important relational (justice
reputation, social status, relationship with the target, power) and situational (number of
observers, mistreatment intensity) factors are posited to influence third-party perceptions of team
members’ expectations for their intervention, and perceptions of the expected salience of their
response to their team members. These perceived expectations for intervention are theorized to
positively influence the expected salience of their response, which is strengthened under
conditions of ethical leadership, ethical climate, and ethical HRM practices. In turn, third parties
use a cost-benefit analysis to decide how to respond in a manner that serves their interests, which
is moderated by several key factors (probability that intervention alleviates the mistreatment,
perceived risk of intervention, third-party vulnerability). We advance a novel process-based
conceptual model that provides an alternative lens as to why third parties may intervene during
mistreatment within work teams.
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Cite this version of the work
Janet A. Boekhorst, Shayna Frawley
(2022).
The Pragmatic Side of Workplace Heroics: A Self-Interest Perspective on Responding to Mistreatment in Work Teams. UWSpace.
http://hdl.handle.net/10012/20696
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