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Service employees’ deviant behaviors and leader–member exchange in contexts of dispositional envy and dispositional jealousy

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Abstract

Hotels represent a prime service industry. The current study examined the role of leader-member exchange (LMX) on hotel service employees’ deviant behaviors in contexts of dispositional envy and dispositional jealousy. Specifically, we collected two different samples of US hotel employees to examine interactions of LMX with dispositional envy and jealousy on deviant behaviors. The results supported our hypotheses, showing that (1) LMX had a negative relationship with deviant behaviors and that (2) higher levels of dispositional envy and jealousy led to more deviant behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge Jay Ian for his editorial help that made the current manuscript better. This present research was conducted by the research fund of Dankook University in 2011.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of International Studies, Dankook University, 152, Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Gyeonggi-do, 448-701, South Korea

    Soo Kyung Kim

  2. School of Business, Yonsei University, 262 Seongsanno, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul, 120-749, South Korea

    Dong-Il Jung

  3. Department of Business Administration, Hoseo University, 268 Anseo-dong, Cheonan, Chungnam, 330-713, South Korea

    Jung Seung Lee

Authors
  1. Soo Kyung Kim
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  2. Dong-Il Jung
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  3. Jung Seung Lee
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Correspondence to Dong-Il Jung.

Appendix: Research questionnaire

Appendix: Research questionnaire

1.1 LMX

  1. 1.

    My supervisor and I get along well together.

  2. 2.

    My working relationship with my supervisor is effective.

  3. 3.

    My supervisor is personally inclined to help me solve problems in my work.

  4. 4.

    My supervisor considers my suggestions for change.

  5. 5.

    My supervisor understands my problems and needs.

  6. 6.

    I have enough confidence in my supervisor that I would defend and justify his/her decisions if he or she were not present to do so.

  7. 7.

    My supervisor recognizes my potential.

1.2 Deviant behaviors

  1. 1.

    Insulted someone about their job performance abuse.

  2. 2.

    Made fun of someone’s personal life abuse.

  3. 3.

    Ignored someone at work abuse.

  4. 4.

    Refused to help someone at work.

  5. 5.

    Started an argument with someone at work abuse.

  6. 6.

    Insulted or made fun of someone at work abuse.

  7. 7.

    Said something hurtful to someone at work.

  8. 8.

    Made an ethnic, religious, or racial remark at work .

  9. 9.

    Cursed at someone at work.

  10. 10.

    Played a mean prank on someone at work.

  11. 11.

    Acted rudely toward someone at work.

  12. 12.

    Publicly embarrassed someone at work.

1.3 Dispositional envy

  1. 1.

    At the job, most of my co-workers have it better than I do.

  2. 2.

    My supervisor values the efforts of others more than s/he values my efforts.

  3. 3.

    I don’t think I’ll ever have a job as good as some of the ones that I’ve seen here.

  4. 4.

    I don’t know why, but I usually feel like certain coworkers are rewarded more than me.

  5. 5.

    It is somewhat annoying to see others have all the luck in getting the best assignments.

  6. 6.

    When I’m at work, I feel envy every day.

  7. 7.

    The bitter truth is that I generally feel inferior to the people I work with.

  8. 8.

    Feelings of envy constantly torment me when I’m at work.

  9. 9.

    No matter what I do at work, envy always plagues me.

  10. 10.

    When I’m at work, I’m troubled by feelings of inadequacy.

  11. 11.

    It somehow doesn’t seem fair that some work colleagues seem to have all the talent.

  12. 12.

    Frankly, the success of my work colleagues makes me resent them.

1.4 Dispositional jealousy

  1. 1.

    I would feel rejected by my boss.

  2. 2.

    I would not feel angry with my boss or with the person he/she was with. [Reverse scored].

  3. 3.

    I would feel depressed when my supervisor speaks favorably about another employee.

  4. 4.

    I would be resentful if my supervisor asked one of my coworkers for help with a problem.

  5. 5.

    I sometimes worry that my supervisor will feel that another employee is more competent than I.

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Kim, S.K., Jung, DI. & Lee, J.S. Service employees’ deviant behaviors and leader–member exchange in contexts of dispositional envy and dispositional jealousy. Serv Bus 7, 583–602 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-012-0174-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-012-0174-6

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