Deterrence Effects: The Role of Authoritarian Leadership in Controlling Employee Workplace Deviance

Zheng, Y.; Huang, X.; Graham, L.; Redman, T.; Hu, S.

doi:10.1017/mor.2019.50

Deterrence Effects: The Role of Authoritarian Leadership in Controlling Employee Workplace Deviance

Zheng, Y.; Huang, X.; Graham, L.; Redman, T.; Hu, S.

Authors

Y. Zheng

X. Huang

Professor Les Graham l.n.graham@durham.ac.uk
Professor

T. Redman

S. Hu

Abstract

Drawing upon two independent samples from mainland China, we propose and investigate the deterrence function of leadership behavior focused on control. We suggest that controlling leadership, specifically, authoritarian leadership, deters employees’ deviance under certain conditions. That is, authoritarian leadership thwarts employees’ interpersonal deviance behavior when leaders send clear signals of potential punishments of non-compliance by showing low leader benevolence, and when employees are highly dependent on the leaders for important work resources. Results from two independent studies largely support our key propositions. Overall, these results add to the range of possible impacts that a leader can play in decreasing employee deviance. Theoretical implications and directions for follow-up research are discussed.

Citation

Zheng, Y., Huang, X., Graham, L., Redman, T., & Hu, S. (2020). Deterrence Effects: The Role of Authoritarian Leadership in Controlling Employee Workplace Deviance. Management and Organization Review, 16(2), 377-404. https://doi.org/10.1017/mor.2019.50

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Apr 6, 2019
Online Publication Date	Jan 23, 2020
Publication Date	May 31, 2020
Deposit Date	May 7, 2019
Publicly Available Date	May 7, 2019
Journal	Management and Organization Review
Print ISSN	1740-8776
Electronic ISSN	1740-8784
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	16
Issue	2
Pages	377-404
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1017/mor.2019.50
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1302224

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Copyright Statement
This article has been published in a revised form in Management and organization review https://doi.org/10.1017/mor.2019.50. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © 2020 The International Association for Chinese Management Research.