A comparison of organizational leadership styles and team social support on job insecurity, workplace bullying, and turnover intention

• Main Author: Sim, Brenda Ying Hui
• Format: Thesis
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: BF Psychology; HD Industries. Land use. Labor; HF Commerce
• Online Access: http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/2415/

Workplace bullying is a serious phenomenon which may negatively influence employees’ well-being and work performance. Although ample research has shown the influence of job insecurity on workplace bullying, there is a lack of integration of the role of leadership and team social support in shaping this relationship. Hence, from a top-down perspective, this multilevel study viewed the influence of toxic leadership and ethical leadership; toxic leadership and team social support; and ethical leadership and team social support on workplace bullying and turnover intention through employees’ feelings of job insecurity. A sample of 256 employees in 48 teams (50.9% males; mean age = 29.6 years) from various private organizations in Klang Valley participated in the study. This study extended current literature by showing how toxic leadership and ethical leadership; toxic leadership and team social support; and ethical leadership and team social support may lead to workplace bullying through increasing job insecurity of employees in Malaysia. Hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) found that workplace bullying showed significant relationship with turnover intention. Toxic leadership and ethical leadership showed significant associations with both workplace bullying and turnover intention. In addition, both toxic leadership and team social support as well as ethical leadership and team social support showed significant associations with job insecurity and turnover intention. Future studies may advance literature containing workplace bullying by utilizing longitudinal methods to test for reciprocal effects and further untangle the relationships of job insecurity and workplace bullying.