Linking abusive supervision to job embeddedness: The mediating role of perceived organizational support

Abstract

The present study examines the relationship between abusive supervision and job embeddedness. Specifically, this study tests a model linking abusive supervision to job embeddedness through perceived organizational support (POS). The model basically draws on social exchange theory and conservation of resources theory. By this model, we propose POS as an intermediary mechanism that mediates the abusive supervision-job embeddedness relationship. Data were collected from a variety of organizations in Turkey. The sample included 644 fulltime employees with at least one-year tenure. We tested our research hypotheses using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping. The results showed that POS fully mediates the relationship between abusive supervision and job embeddedness. Our findings give a deeper understanding of how abusive supervision is related to reduced job embeddedness through reduced POS. Furthermore, this study expands the existing research on the harmful consequences of abusive supervision by linking abusive supervision to job embeddedness, not previously studied. Our findings also indicate that abusive supervision and job embeddedness measures are valid constructs in the context of Turkey. Contributions, practical implications and limitations were discussed, and directions for future research were proposed.