Many of us have had a bad workplace interaction with a boss — for example, being yelled at or sworn at in front of others, receiving no credit for work that required serious effort or extra hours, or being humiliated for a past mistake. At best, such experiences can be frustrating and demotivating; at worst, they can lead to reduced productivity or even to someone deciding to quit.
When Your Boss Has an Angry Outburst, What Do They Do Next?
Many of us have had a bad interaction with a boss — for example, being yelled at or sworn at in front of others, not receiving credit for work, or being humiliated for a mistake. But what happens after this mistreatment? Researchers find that some leaders feel bad and try to make amends. Building on moral cleansing theory, which says that people seek to balance their moral and immoral actions and maintain their moral self-image around a desired equilibrium point, researchers conducted a pair of studies on 99 leaders and 140 direct reports in China over a period of two weeks. They asked leaders to assess their abusive behavior and emotional experience toward their staff, while the staff were asked to report on their leaders’ constructive behaviors. They found that abusive behaviors, such as starting an argument with, making fun of, or ignoring a direct report, made leaders feel guilty, which prompted them to pay more attention to their direct report and support them. But only certain leaders engaged in these reparative behaviors: those who frequently engaged in moral reflection and those who possessed moral courage to face past wrongdoings.