Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Change is Coming, Time to Undermine? Examining the Countervailing Effects of Anticipated Organizational Change and Coworker Exchange Quality on the Relationship Between Machiavellianism and Social Undermining at Work

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A considerable body of research supports the link between Machiavellianism and antisocial forms of behavior at work. Yet, meta-analytic findings and existing theory allude to a more complex story, whereby Machiavellian employees’ engagement in antisocial acts is likely to be simultaneously influenced by countervailing situational forces. To promote more nuanced, contextualized knowledge of high Machs’ antisocial tendencies at work, we developed and tested a social context model that describes how multiple situational factors may, at once, provoke and constrain the tendency of such individuals to engage in one notable form of antisocial behavior at work: social undermining. Specifically, we argue that Machiavellian employees likely experience competing motivations to undermine their colleagues as a result of two countervailing situational factors that are relevant to their self-interests: anticipated organizational change and perceptions of coworkers’ exchange quality. To develop our predictions, we draw on trait activation theory’s core assertion that employees’ behavior is multiply determined, such that trait–behavior relations stem from a complex interplay among diverse and potentially competing trait-relevant situational cues. The results of a three-wave, time-lagged survey supported our predictions that anticipated change would strengthen the positive relation between Machiavellianism and undermining, while perceptions of coworkers’ exchange quality would attenuate it. Additionally, the results supported our three-way interaction hypothesis that perceived coworker exchange quality would weaken the two-way interaction effect of Machiavellianism and anticipated organizational change on social undermining. We discuss the implications of our findings, as well as avenues for future research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Meta-analyses suggest that employee samples obtained from online panel data services, such as Qualtrics, display similar psychometric properties and produce criterion validities that generally fall within the credibility intervals of meta-analytic findings from conventionally sourced data (Walter et al., 2019).

  2. Our decision to measure coworker exchange quality at Time 3 was informed by prior research suggesting high Machs are long-term planners who carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of different social strategies over time (Bereczkei, 2015; Bereczkei et al., 2013). Accordingly, by measuring coworker exchange quality at Time 3, we sought to capture the longer-term decision-making processes that such individuals are likely to adopt when deciding their course of action in response to expected major changes at work. For high Machs who have anticipated changes in their organization for longer periods of time, measuring coworker exchange quality at Time 3 may not have been necessary. However, for high Machs who recently learned about expected major changes at work, imposing a time lag helped to address their long-term decision-making regarding whether to undermine their coworkers based on their perceived exchange quality.

References

  • Adams, I., & Dyson, R. W. (2007). Nicolò Machiavelli (1469–1527). In I. Adams & R. W. Dyson (Eds.), Fifty major political thinkers (pp. 35–43). London and New York: Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Adler, P. S., & Kwon, S. W. (2002). Social capital: Prospects for a new concept. Academy of Management Review, 27, 17–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, J., Jimmieson, N. L., Bordia, P., & Irmer, B. E. (2007). Uncertainty during organizational change: Managing perceptions through communication. Journal of Change Management, 7, 187–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aquino, K., & Douglas, S. (2003). Identity threat and antisocial behavior in organizations: The moderating effects of individual differences, aggressive modeling, and hierarchical status. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 90, 195–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armenakis, A. A., & Bedeian, A. G. (1999). Organizational change: A review of theory and research in the 1990s. Journal of Management, 25, 293–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashford, S. J. (1988). Individual strategies for coping with stress during organizational transitions. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 24, 19–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashford, S. J., Lee, C., & Bobko, P. (1989). Content, cause, and consequences of job insecurity: A theory-based measure and substantive test. Academy of Management Journal, 32, 803–829.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagozzi, R. P., Verbeke, W. J., Dietvorst, R. C., Belschak, F. D., van den Berg, W. E., & Rietdijk, W. J. (2013). Theory of mind and empathic explanations of Machiavellianism: A neuroscience perspective. Journal of Management, 39, 1760–1798.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baillien, E., & De Witte, H. (2009). Why is organizational change related to workplace bullying? Role conflict and job insecurity as mediators. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 30, 348–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baillien, E., Neyens, I., De Witte, H., & De Cuyper, N. (2009). A qualitative study on the development of workplace bullying: Towards a three-way model. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 19, 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandalos, D. L. (1997). Assessing sources of error in structural equation models: The effects of sample size, reliability, and model misspecification. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 4, 177–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1991). Social cognitive theory of moral thought and action. In W. M. Kurtines & J. L. Gewirtz (Eds.), Handbook of moral behavior and development: Vol. 1: Theory (Vol. 1, pp. 45–103). Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1999). Moral disengagement in the perpetration of inhumanities. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3, 193–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, A. (2018). Information-seeking from organizational communication sources during healthcare technology change. Communication Quarterly, 66, 58–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belschak, F. D., Den Hartog, D. N., & Kalshoven, K. (2015). Leading Machiavellians: How to translate Machiavellians’ selfishness into pro-organizational behavior. Journal of Management, 41, 1934–1956.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belschak, F. D., Jacobs, G., Giessner, S. R., Horton, K. E., & Bayerl, P. S. (2020). When the going gets tough: Employee reactions to large-scale organizational change and the role of employee Machiavellianism. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 41, 830–850.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belschak, F. D., Muhammad, R. S., & Den Hartog, D. N. (2018). Birds of a feather can butt heads: When Machiavellian employees work with Machiavellian leaders. Journal of Business Ethics, 151, 613–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentler, P. M., & Yuan, K. H. (1999). Structural equation modeling with small samples: Test statistics. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 34, 181–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bereczkei, T. (2015). The manipulative skill: Cognitive devices and their neural correlates underlying Machiavellian’s decision making. Brain and Cognition, 99, 24–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bereczkei, T. (2018). Machiavellian intelligence hypothesis revisited: What evolved cognitive and social skills may underlie human manipulation. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 12, 32–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bereczkei, T., Birkas, B., & Kerekes, Z. (2010). The presence of others, prosocial traits, Machiavellianism: A personality × situation approach. Social Psychology, 41, 232–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bereczkei, T., & Czibor, A. (2014). Personality and situational factors differently influence high Mach and low Mach persons’ decisions in a social dilemma game. Personality and Individual Differences, 64, 168–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bereczkei, T., Deak, A., Papp, P., Perlaki, G., & Orsi, G. (2013). Neural correlates of Machiavellian strategies in a social dilemma task. Brain and Cognition, 82, 108–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernerth, J. B., & Aguinis, H. (2016). A critical review and best-practice recommendations for control variable usage. Personnel Psychology, 69, 229–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, C. M., Carpenter, N. C., & Barratt, C. L. (2012). Do other-reports of counterproductive work behavior provide an incremental contribution over self-reports? A meta-analytic comparison. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97, 613–636.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, C. M., Ones, D. S., & Sackett, P. R. (2007). Interpersonal deviance, organizational deviance, and their common correlates: A review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 410–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogart, L. M., Benotsch, E. G., & Pavlovic, J. D. P. (2004). Feeling superior but threatened: The relation of narcissism to social comparison. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 26, 35–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogart, K., Geis, F., Levy, M., & Zimbardo, P. (1970). No dissonance for Machiavellians. Studies Machiavellianism, 4, 236–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bordia, P., Hobman, E., Jones, E., Gallois, C., & Callan, V. J. (2004). Uncertainty during organizational change: Types, consequences, and management strategies. Journal of Business and Psychology, 18, 507–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradlee, P. M., & Emmons, R. A. (1992). Locating narcissism within the interpersonal circumplex and the five-factor model. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 821–830.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buono, A. F., & Bowditch, J. L. (2003). The human side of mergers and acquisitions: Managing collisions between people, cultures, and organizations. Beard Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, N. C., Rangel, B., Jeon, G., & Cottrell, J. (2017). Are supervisors and coworkers likely to witness employee counterproductive work behavior? An investigation of observability and self–observer convergence. Personnel Psychology, 70, 843–889.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casey, M. K., Miller, V. D., & Johnson, J. R. (1997). Survivors’ information seeking following a reduction in workforce. Communication Research, 24, 755–781.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castille, C. M., Buckner, J. E., & Thoroughgood, C. N. (2018). Prosocial citizens without a moral compass? Examining the relationship between Machiavellianism and unethical pro-organizational behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 149, 919–930.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castille, C. M., Kuyumcu, D., & Bennett, R. J. (2017). Prevailing to the peers’ detriment: Organizational constraints motivate Machiavellians to undermine their peers. Personality and Individual Differences, 104, 29–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collison, K. L., Vize, C. E., Miller, J. D., & Lynam, D. R. (2018). Development and preliminary validation of a five factor model measure of Machiavellianism. Psychological Assessment, 30, 1401–1407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chong, A. (2005). Classical realism and the tension between sovereignty and intervention: Constructions of expediency from Machiavelli, Hobbes and Bodin. Journal of International Relations and Development, 8, 257–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christie, R., & Geis, F. L. (1970). Studies in Machiavellianism. Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, S., & Peterson, C. (1980). Machiavellianism and spontaneous cheating in competition. Journal of Research in Personality, 14, 70–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Czibor, A., & Bereczkei, T. (2012). Machiavellian people’s success results from monitoring their partners. Personality and Individual Differences, 53, 202–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahling, J. J., Whitaker, B. G., & Levy, P. E. (2009). The development and validation of a new Machiavellianism scale. Journal of Management, 35, 219–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dang, C. T., Umphress, E. E., & Mitchell, M. S. (2017). Leader social accounts of subordinates’ unethical behavior: Examining observer reactions to leader social accounts with moral disengagement language. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102, 1448–1461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, J. F., & Richter, A. W. (2006). Probing three-way interactions in moderated multiple regression: Development and application of a slope difference test. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 917–926.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeCelles, K. A., & Aquino, K. (2020). Dark knights: When and why an employee becomes a workplace vigilante. Academy of Management Review, 45, 528–548.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deluga, R. J. (2001). American presidential Machiavellianism: Implications for charismatic leadership and rated performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 12, 339–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Den Hartog, D. N., & Belschak, F. D. (2012). Work engagement and Machiavellianism in the ethical leadership process. Journal of Business Ethics, 107, 35–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Hoogh, A. H., Den Hartog, D. N., & Belschak, F. D. (2021). Showing one’s true colors: Leader Machiavellianism, rules and instrumental climate, and abusive supervision. Journal of Organizational Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2536

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dent, E. B., & Goldberg, S. G. (1999). Challenging “resistance to change.” The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 35, 25–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, M. K., Ganster, D. C., & Pagon, M. (2002). Social undermining in the workplace. Academy of Management Journal, 45, 331–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, M. K., Ganster, D. C., Shaw, J. D., Johnson, J. L., & Pagon, M. (2006a). The social context of undermining behavior at work. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 101, 105–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, M. K., Scott, K. L., Shaw, J. D., Tepper, B. J., & Aquino, K. (2012). A social context model of envy and social undermining. Academy of Management Journal, 55, 643–666.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy, M. K., Shaw, J. D., Scott, K. L., & Tepper, B. J. (2006b). Self-concept and personality moderators of aggressive responses to group undermining. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 1066–1077.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Earley, P. C., & Gibson, C. B. (1998). Taking stock in our progress on individualism-collectivism: 100 years of solidarity and community. Journal of Management, 24, 265–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eagly, A. H. (1987). Reporting sex differences. American Psychologist, 42, 756–757.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emmons, R. A. (1987). Narcissism: Theory and measurement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 11–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, M. G. (1985). A Monte Carlo study of the effects of correlated method variance in moderated multiple regression analysis. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 36, 305–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finch, J. F., West, S. G., & MacKinnon, D. P. (1997). Effects of sample size and nonnormality on the estimation of mediated effects in latent variable models. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 4, 87–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fink, S. L., Beak, J., & Taddeo, K. (1971). Organizational crisis and change. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 7, 15–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18, 39–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fugate, M., Kinicki, A. J., & Scheck, C. L. (2002). Coping with an organizational merger over four stages. Personnel Psychology, 55, 905–928.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fugate, M., Prussia, G. E., & Kinicki, A. J. (2012). Managing employee withdrawal during organizational change: The role of threat appraisal. Journal of Management, 38, 890–914.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gable, M., Hollon, C., & Dangello, F. (1992). Managerial structuring of work as a moderator of the Machiavellianism and job performance relationship. The Journal of Psychology, 126, 317–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gartner. (2018). Managing organizational change. https://www.gartner.com/en/insights/change-management

  • Geis, F. L., & Moon, T. H. (1981). Machiavellianism and deception. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41, 766–775.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenbaum, R. L., Hill, A., Mawritz, M. B., & Quade, M. J. (2017). Employee Machiavellianism to unethical behavior: The role of abusive supervision as a trait activator. Journal of Management, 43, 585–609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hare, R. D., & Neumann, C. S. (2008). Psychopathy as a clinical and empirical construct. Annual Review Clinical Psychology, 4, 217–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrell, W. A., & Hartnagel, T. (1976). The impact of Machiavellianism and the trustfulness of the victim on laboratory theft. Sociometry, 39, 157–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawley, P. H. (2003). Prosocial and coercive configurations of resource control in early adolescence: A case for the well-adapted Machiavellian. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 49, 279–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heo, M., & Leon, A. C. (2010). Sample sizes required to detect two-way and three-way interactions involving slope differences in mixed-effects linear models. Journal of Biopharmaceutical Statistics, 20, 787–802.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hershcovis, M. S. (2011). “Incivility, social undermining, bullying… oh my!”: A call to reconcile constructs within workplace aggression research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32, 499–519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hershcovis, M. S., Reich, T. C., Parker, S. K., & Bozeman, J. (2012). The relationship between workplace aggression and target deviant behaviour: The moderating roles of power and task interdependence. Work & Stress, 26, 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoel, H., & Salin, D. (2003). Organisational antecedents of workplace bullying. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace: International perspectives in research and practice (pp. 203–218). New York: Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Sage publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hui, C., & Lee, C. (2000). Moderating effects of organization-based self-esteem on organizational uncertainty: Employee response relationships. Journal of Management, 26, 215–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, S. D., & Chonko, L. B. (1984). Marketing and Machiavellianism. Journal of Marketing, 48, 30–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ináncsi, T., Lángb, A., & Bereczkeia, T. (2016). A darker shade of love: Machiavellianism and positive assortative mating based on romantic ideals. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 12, 137–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jonason, P. K., & Kavanagh, P. (2010). The dark side of love: Love styles and the Dark Triad. Personality and Individual Differences, 49, 606–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jonason, P. K., & Schmitt, D. P. (2012). What have you done for me lately? Friendship-selection in the shadows of Dark Triad traits. Evolutionary Psychology, 10, 400–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. N. (2014). Risk in the face of retribution: Psychopathic individuals persist in financial misbehavior among the Dark Triad. Personality and Individual Differences, 67, 109–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. N., & Mueller, S. M. (2021). Is Machiavellianism dead or dormant? The perils of researching a secretive construct. Journal of Business Ethics, 1–15.

  • Jones, D. N., & Paulhus, D. L. (2009). Machiavellianism. In M. R. Leary & R. H. Hoyle (Eds.), Handbook of individual differences in social behavior (pp. 93–108). New York, NY: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. N., & Paulhus, D. L. (2011a). Differentiating the Dark Triad within the interpersonal circumplex. In L. M. Horowitz & S. Strack (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal psychology: Theory, research, assessment, and therapeutic interventions (pp. 249–268). Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. N., & Paulhus, D. L. (2011b). The role of impulsivity in the Dark Triad of personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 51, 679–682.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. N., & Paulhus, D. L. (2014). Introducing the short dark triad (SD3) a brief measure of dark personality traits. Assessment, 21, 28–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. N., & Paulhus, D. L. (2017). Duplicity among the dark triad: Three faces of deceit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113, 329–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Judge, T. A., Piccolo, R. F., & Kosalka, T. (2009). The bright and dark sides of leader traits: A review and theoretical extension of the leader trait paradigm. The Leadership Quarterly, 20, 855–875.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Judge, T. A., Thoresen, C. J., Pucik, V., & Welbourne, T. M. (1999). Managerial coping with organizational change: A dispositional perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 107–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kantor, J., & Streitfeld, D. (2015, August 15). Inside Amazon: Wrestling big ideas in a bruising workplace. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html

  • Kim, T. Y., Hon, A. H., & Lee, D. R. (2010). Proactive personality and employee creativity: The effects of job creativity requirement and supervisor support for creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 22, 37–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R. (2005). Principles and practices of structural equation modeling (2n ed.). Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kouchaki, M., & Desai, S. D. (2015). Anxious, threatened, and also unethical: How anxiety makes individuals feel threatened and commit unethical acts. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100, 360–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kückelhaus, B. P., & Blickle, G. (2021). An other perspective on five factor Machiavellianism. Journal of Personality Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2021.1905652

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, S. A., & Callan, V. J. (2011). The role of social support in coping during the anticipatory stage of organizational change: A test of an integrative model. British Journal of Management, 22, 567–585.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LeBreton, J. M., Shiverdecker, L. K., & Grimaldi, E. M. (2018). The dark triad and workplace behavior. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 387–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, K., Kim, E., Bhave, D. P., & Duffy, M. K. (2016). Why victims of undermining at work become perpetrators of undermining: An integrative model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101, 915–924.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loughry, M. L., & Tosi, H. L. (2008). Performance implications of peer monitoring. Organization Science, 19, 876–890.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luchner, A. F., Houston, J. M., Walker, C., & Houston, M. A. (2011). Exploring the relationship between two forms of narcissism and competitiveness. Personality and Individual Differences, 51, 779–782.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, P., Eisenberger, R., & Armeli, S. (1999). Perceived organizational support: Inferior-versus-superior performance by wary employees. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 467–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Machiavelli, N. (1513/2008). The Prince. New American Library: New York.

  • Matsunaga, M. (2008). Item parceling in structural equation modeling: A primer. Communication Methods and Measures, 2, 260–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, V. D. (1996). An experimental study of newcomers’ information seeking behaviors during organizational entry. Communication Studies, 47, 1–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mintzberg, H. (1985). The organization as political arena. Journal of Management Studies, 22, 133–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, M. S., Baer, M. D., Ambrose, M. L., Folger, R., & Palmer, N. F. (2018). Cheating under pressure: A self-protection model of workplace cheating behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103, 54–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, M. S., Cropanzano, R., & Quisenberry, D. (2012). Social exchange theory, exchange resources, and interpersonal relationships: A modest resolution of theoretical difficulties. In K. Tornblom & A. Kazemi (Eds.), Handbook of social resource theory: Theoretical extensions, empirical insights, and social applications (pp. 99–118). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, E. W. (2002). Information seeking within organizations. Human Communication Research, 28, 229–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, E. W., & Milliken, F. J. (2000). Organizational silence: A barrier to change and development in a pluralistic world. Academy of Management review, 25, 706–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murnighan, J. K., Cantelon, D. A., & Elyashiv, T. (2001). Bounded personal ethics and the tap dance of real estate agency. In J. Wagner, J. Bartunek, & K. Elsbach (Eds.), Advances in qualitative organizational research (pp. 1–40). Elsevier/JAI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadler, D. A. (1981). Managing organizational change: An integrative perspective. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 17, 191–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Boyle, E. H., Forsyth, D. R., Banks, G. C., & McDaniel, M. A. (2012). A meta-analysis of the Dark Triad and work behavior: A social exchange perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97, 557–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oreg, S. (2003). Resistance to change: Developing an individual differences measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 587–604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostroff, C., Kinicki, A. J., & Clark, M. A. (2002). Substantive and operational issues of response bias across levels of analysis: An example of climate-satisfaction relationships. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 355–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paulhus, D. L., & Williams, K. M. (2002). The dark triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 556–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paulsen, N., Callan, V. J., Grice, T. A., Rooney, D., Gallois, C., Jones, E., & JimmiesonBordia, N. L. P. (2005). Job uncertainty and personal control during downsizing: A comparison of survivors and victims. Human Relations, 58, 463–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common methods biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879–903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rauthmann, J. F., & Will, T. (2011). Proposing a multidimensional Machiavellianism conceptualization. Social Behavior and Personality, 39, 391–403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salin, D. (2003). Ways of explaining workplace bullying: A review of enabling, motivating and precipitating structures and processes in the work environment. Human Relations, 56, 1213–1232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandefur, R. L., & Laumann, E. O. (1998). A paradigm for social capital. Rationality and Society, 10, 481–501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schweiger, D. M., & Ivancevich, J. M. (1985). Human resources: The forgotten factor in mergers and acquisitions. Personnel Administrator, 30, 47–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, K. L., Restubog, S. L., & Zagenczyk, T. J. (2013). A social exchange-based model of the antecedents of workplace exclusion. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98, 37–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shoss, M. K. (2017). Job insecurity: An integrative review and agenda for future research. Journal of Management, 43, 1911–1939.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shultz, C. J. (1993). Situational and dispositional predictors of performance: A test of the hypothesized Machiavellianism structure interaction among sales persons. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 23, 478–498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siemsen, E., Roth, A., & Oliveira, P. (2010). Common method bias in regression models with linear, quadratic, and interaction effects. Organizational Research Methods, 13, 456–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skogstad, A., Matthiesen, S. B., & Einarsen, S. (2007). Organizational changes: A precursor of bullying at work? International Journal of Organizational Theory and Behaviour, 10, 58–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer, M., Fischbacher, U., Herrnberger, B., Grön, G., & Fehr, E. (2007). The neural signature of social norm compliance. Neuron, 56, 185–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sparks, J. R. (1994). Machiavellianism and personal success in marketing: The moderating role of latitude for improvisation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 22, 393–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szabó, E., & Jones, D. N. (2019). Gender differences moderate Machiavellianism and impulsivity: Implications for Dark Triad research. Personality and Individual Differences, 141, 160–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tett, R. P., & Burnett, D. D. (2003). A personality trait-based interactionist model of job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 500–517.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tett, R. P., & Guterman, H. A. (2000). Situation trait relevance, trait expression, and cross-situational consistency: Testing a principle of trait activation. Journal of Research in Personality, 34, 397–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tett, R. P., Simonet, D. V., Walser, B., & Brown, C. (2013). Trait activation theory: Applications, developments, and implications for person-workplace fit. In N. D. Christiansen & R. P. Tett (Eds.), Handbook of personality at work (pp. 71–100). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoroughgood, C. N., Padilla, A., Hunter, S. T., & Tate, B. W. (2012). The susceptible circle: A taxonomy of followers associated with destructive leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 23, 897–917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoroughgood, C. N., Sawyer, K. B., Padilla, A., & Lunsford, L. (2018). Destructive leadership: A critique of leader-centric perspectives and toward a more holistic definition. Journal of Business Ethics, 151, 627–649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turgut, S., Michel, A., Rothenhöfer, L. M., & Sonntag, K. (2016). Dispositional resistance to change and emotional exhaustion: Moderating effects at the work-unit level. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 25, 735–750.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dijk, R., & Van Dick, R. (2009). Navigating organizational change: Change leaders, employee resistance and work-based identities. Journal of Change Management, 9, 143–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vazire, S., & Funder, D. C. (2006). Impulsivity and the self-defeating behavior of narcissists. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10, 154–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walter, S. L., Seibert, S. E., Goering, D., & O’Boyle, E. H. (2019). A tale of two sample sources: Do results from online panel data and conventional data converge? Journal of Business and Psychology, 34, 425–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, L. J., O’Boyle, E. H., & Yu, J. (2020). Condition 9 and 10 tests of model confirmation: A review of James, Mulaik, and Brett (1982) and contemporary alternatives. Organizational Research Methods, 23, 6–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, D. S., Near, D., & Miller, R. R. (1996). Machiavellianism: A synthesis of the evolutionary and psychological literatures. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 285–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoon, S., Kim, S. L., Go, C., & Yun, S. (2019). Knowledge sharing, hypercompetitiveness, and contextual Factors: Investigating a three-way effect. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35, 489–502.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zagenczyk, T. J., Restubog, S. L. D., Kiewitz, C., Kiazad, K., & Tang, R. L. (2014). Psychological contracts as a mediator between Machiavellianism and employee citizenship and deviant behaviors. Journal of Management, 40, 1098–1122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the ‘BK21 FOUR (Fostering Outstanding Universities for Research)’ in 2021, and Yonsei University’s 2020-2 Future-Leading Research Initiative (grant number 2020-22-0493), and Signature Research Cluster Program of 2021 (grant number 2021-22-0006).

Funding

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, 35 Broad Street NW, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    Christian N. Thoroughgood

  2. Department of Management, School of Business, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Building 212, Seoul, 03722, South Korea

    Kiyoung Lee

  3. Department of Management, School of Business, The George Washington University, 2201 G Street NW, Duquès Hall, Washington, DC, 20052, USA

    Katina B. Sawyer

  4. Poole College of Management, North Carolina State University, 2801 Founders Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Thomas J. Zagenczyk

Authors
  1. Christian N. Thoroughgood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kiyoung Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Katina B. Sawyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Thomas J. Zagenczyk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian N. Thoroughgood.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript. The authors have no financial or proprietary interests in any material discussed in this article.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Thoroughgood, C.N., Lee, K., Sawyer, K.B. et al. Change is Coming, Time to Undermine? Examining the Countervailing Effects of Anticipated Organizational Change and Coworker Exchange Quality on the Relationship Between Machiavellianism and Social Undermining at Work. J Bus Ethics 181, 701–720 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04943-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04943-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation