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Sins of Commission and Omission: The Implications of an Active–Passive Categorization of Counterproductive Work Behavior

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Abstract

This paper introduces an active–passive framework to the conceptualization and measurement of counterproductive work behavior (CWB), in order to establish a dimension that categorizes the content of behaviors within the existing interpersonally directed (CWBI) and organizationally directed (CWBO) framework. Doing so provides new insights into the relationship between workplace counterproductivity and sleep. Stressor-emotion models of CWB predict that employees engage in counterproductivity in response to workplace stressors, but extant research suggests that counterproductive behavior increases strain, including reduced sleep quality. We develop a new scale for measuring CWB that differentiates active and passive behaviors and demonstrates the potential for positive intrapsychic consequences for passive CWBI. In Study 1, using five samples, we demonstrate the convergent and discriminant validity, reliability, and acceptable psychometric properties of a 19-item scale that reconceptualizes CWB into four dimensions: active CWBI, passive CWBI, active CWBO, and passive CWBO. In Study 2, using experience-sampling methodology, we found that when employees engage in active CWBO at work in the afternoon they experience reduced sleep quality that evening, whereas engaging in passive CWBI was related to increased sleep quality.

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Notes

  1. All MTurk samples followed procedures outlined in Wessling, Huber, and Netzer (2017) to screen participants with an initial survey that incorporated several distractor questions; it was not made clear to potential participants that they would have to be full-time employees in the U.S., but only these participants were given access to the study survey. Only respondents who passed the attention check questions embedded in the survey were included in the final sample.

  2. Independence of all MTurk samples was accomplished using the MTurk qualification tool to disqualify workers from participating in multiple studies.

  3. In accordance with the procedures approved by the institutional review board (IRB) of this university, participants were offered one of five $200 prizes, to be awarded based on accuracy and speed on a short cognitive ability test.

  4. All model comparisons use a Wald chi-square test, which compares chi-square values of alternative models to determine factors that add significant explanatory value. These tests are not equivalent to testing the difference between chi-square values of alternative models (e.g., χ2).

  5. To assess the robustness of our model, we conducted similar analyses without these controls. Results were qualitatively unchanged and are available upon request.

  6. We also investigated active and passive dimensions of the aggression concepts of social undermining, incivility, and ostracism. Using data from Sample 5, we classified items within these scales as either active or passive. We found that a two-factor model fit the data better than a one-factor model for each scale, suggesting that there are separable active and passive scales for each construct. Complete information on these analyses is available from the first author.

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Funding

This research was supported by funding from the Center of Leadership Ethics at the Eller College of Management, University of Arizona.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, 665-2053 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2, Canada

    Jonathan B. Evans

  2. Department of Management and Organizations, University of Arizona, 1130 E. Helen Street, McClelland Hall, Room 405, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Jerel E. Slaughter & Mahira L. Ganster

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  1. Jonathan B. Evans
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Correspondence to Jonathan B. Evans.

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

Compliance with ethical standards

The questionnaires and methodology for the studies included in this manuscript were approved by the Human Research Ethics committee of the University of Arizona (Ethics approval number: 16-15-MGMT) and the University of British Columbia (Ethics approval number: H20-03068). Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in these studies.

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Appendix

Appendix

See Tables

Table 10 Items generated from Study 1
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10 and

Table 11 Summary of confirmatory factor analyses for CWBI and similar personal aggression constructs using sample 5
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11.

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Evans, J.B., Slaughter, J.E. & Ganster, M.L. Sins of Commission and Omission: The Implications of an Active–Passive Categorization of Counterproductive Work Behavior. J Bus Ethics 187, 97–117 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05277-w

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