Ho Kwong Kwan

Abusive supervision and subordinate supervisor-directed deviance: The moderating role of traditional values and the mediating role of revenge cognitions

This study examined the link between abusive supervision and subordinate supervisor- directed deviance by focusing on the moderating role of traditionality and the mediating role of revenge cognitions directed towards supervisors. The results of analysing 283 supervisor-subordinate dyads in six private electronic companies and 222 supervisor-subordinate dyads in two state-owned oil and gas companies in the Peoples Republic of China showed that abusive supervision was positively related to revenge cognitions directed towards supervisors and to supervisor-directed deviance. In addition, traditionality moderated the above relationships such that they were stronger among low traditionalists than among high ones, while revenge cognitions mediated the main effect of abusive supervision and the interactive effect of abusive supervision and traditionality on supervisor-directed deviance.

Start-Up Capital and Chinese Entrepreneurs: The Role of Family

This paper examines the formation of the initial capital structure of Chinese start–up firms. Contrary to the predominant view of Chinese family business, this study found that family funding is not the major source of start–up capital under certain conditions. Employing two surveys conducted separately in Hong Kong and the mainland of the Peoples Republic of China, it was revealed that Chinese entrepreneurs seek initial funding from their family rather than from outsiders only if they expected lower transaction costs and lower levels of family interference in the business. The implications of the findings for entrepreneurship of ethnic Chinese communities in East Asia are discussed.

High Core Self-Evaluators Maintain Creativity A Motivational Model of Abusive Supervision

We present a motivational model of abusive supervision to examine the effects that exposure to abusive supervision has on creativity. In particular, we predict that intrinsic motivation mediates the negative relation between abusive supervision, as perceived by employees, and their creativity. In addition, we examine the extent to which core self-evaluations attenuate the main effect of abusive supervision and the indirect effect of intrinsic motivation. Our results, based on multiwave, multisource data collected in China, fully support our hypotheses, address unexplored theoretical predictions, and offer new directions for mistreatment, creativity, motivation, and personality research.

The Impact of Servant Leadership on Hotel Employees’ “Servant Behavior”

This study examined the link between servant leadership and hotel employees’ customer-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) by focusing on the mediating role of leader–member exchange (LMX) and the moderating role of followers’ sensitivity to others’ favorable treatment. Using time-lagged data from 304 supervisor–follower pairs in nineteen hotels in China, we found that servant leadership positively influenced customer-oriented OCB, and this influence was mediated by LMX. In addition, moderated path analysis indicated that employees’ sensitivity to others’ favorable treatment strengthened the direct effect of servant leadership on LMX and its indirect effect on customer-oriented OCB. This study extends the scope of servant leadership research and provides evidence for arguments that servant leadership matters in the hospitality industry. The study also demonstrates the importance of LMX to the relationship between managers and employees, through findings that are strengthened by a longitudinal design.

Work‐to‐family spillover effects of abusive supervision

Purpose – The current study seeks to examine the link between abusive supervision and subordinate family undermining by focusing on the mediating role of work‐to‐family conflict and the moderating role of boundary strength at home.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a three‐wave survey research design. Participants included 209 employees from a manufacturing company in China. Hierarchical regression analyses and a bootstrapping algorithm were used to test the hypothesized relationships.Findings – The results indicate that abusive supervision is positively related to family undermining, and this relationship is mediated by work‐to‐family conflict. Moreover, boundary strength at home attenuates the direct relationship of abusive supervision with work‐to‐family conflict and its indirect relationship with family undermining.Research limitations/implications – This research contributes to the integration of the work‐family interface model and the abusive supervision literature by providing ...

Ingratiation in the Workplace: The Role of Subordinate and Supervisor Political Skill

Over two decades, social influence researchers have called for a study that would examine how, why, and when influence tactics are effective. Informed by balance theory, the present study proposes that subordinate and supervisor political skill impacts the effectiveness of ingratiation attempts. The results from a survey of 228 supervisor–subordinate dyads in Chinese firms indicated that subordinates with high political skill are less likely to have their exhibited ingratiation behaviour perceived by their supervisors; however, supervisors with high political skill are likely to perceive ingratiation behaviour demonstrated by their subordinates. Moreover, the most successful condition for enabling subordinates to hide ingratiation from their supervisors is when the subordinates are politically astute and the supervisors are not. Furthermore, when supervisors perceive ingratiation behaviour, they rate low on the job performance and promotability of their subordinates; these low ratings are explained by the undermined personal reputation of the subordinates due to their ingratiation detected.

Customer sexual harassment and frontline employees’ service performance in China

Despite researchers’ increasing attention on customer sexual harassment, few studies have investigated its effects on the service performance of frontline employees. This study examined the link between customer sexual harassment, as perceived by frontline employees, and their service performance by focusing on the mediating role of difficulty in maintaining display rules and the moderating role of traditionality. The results from a field survey of 359 supervisor–subordinate dyads in a chain of restaurants in China provided evidence that difficulty in maintaining display rules mediates the negative relationship between customer sexual harassment and service performance. In addition, Chinese traditional values attenuate the relationship between customer sexual harassment and difficulty in maintaining display rules and the mediating effect of difficulty in maintaining display rules. Implications for theory, research and management practice are discussed.

Effects of Family-to-Work Conflict on Business Owners: The Role of Family Business

Family plays an important part in personal lives, career success, and organizational success. This study examines how type of businesses (family business vs. nonfamily business) moderates the relationships between family-to-work conflict (FWC) and job satisfaction and social networks. Results of a study on 158 Chinese business owners indicate that among nonfamily businesses, the relationship between owners’ FWC and job satisfaction is negative, whereas the relationship between their FWC and social networks is positive. Among family businesses, in comparison, owners’ FWC is not related to their job satisfaction and social networks. It is hoped that these findings will offer a springboard for future family business research.

Mentorship quality and protégés' work-to-family positive spillover, career satisfaction and voice behavior in China

Mentoring has long captured the attention of scholars due to its effects on personal lives and career and organizational success. This study investigates the impact of mentorship quality, as perceived by protégés, while lending consideration to the moderating role of interpersonal citizenship behavior (ICB). Results from a two-wave survey of 173 Chinese protégés indicate that mentorship quality positively influences work-to-family positive spillover (WFPS), career satisfaction and voice behavior. Moreover, career satisfaction fully mediates the association between mentorship quality and voice behavior. Furthermore, the mentorship quality–WFPS relationship is stronger when the receipt of ICB is high rather than low. The findings are discussed with respect to the theoretical contributions of and practical implications for human resource management.

Effects of servant leadership on work–family balance in China

While an increasing number of studies focus on work–family balance (WFB), little research has examined WFB in China. We aim to fill this gap by exploring the antecedents to WFB for Chinese employees. On the basis of the WFB model, we propose that servant leadership positively influences WFB through identification with the leader and work-to-family positive spillover (WFPS). We conducted a field survey in an insurance company in Shanghai. Two hundred salespersons with an average age of 32.5 were surveyed (116 women and 84 men). The results indicate that perceived servant leadership indirectly promotes WFB. The positive relationship between servant leadership and WFB is mediated by identification with the leader and WFPS, which operate in tandem. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of our findings.