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.