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Breaking ties: Relationship disruptive behaviors at work


Author : Sin, H. P.; Harrison, D. A.; Shaffer, M. A.; Lau, V. P.
Category : Conference Paper
Department :
Year / Month : 2004
Source : The 64th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Abstract

    The development and maintenance of interpersonal relationships within and between organizations has become a vital issue for both firms and researchers. During the last two decades, HR researchers have focused on actions that sustain social ties at work (e.g., OCB-I). To complement that stream of literature and further enrich the individual-level criterion space, we conceptually define a construct that captures actions that damage social ties at work (relationship disruptive behavior: RDB). We propose that this negatively toned construct is separate from rather than a bipolar opposite to positive patterns of interpersonal behavior in organizations. We construct a theoretical framework or nomological network that identifies RDB's (a) antecedents in personality dimensions and job attitudes, and (b) outcomes in other elements of individual effectiveness: job performance and task avoidance. To test these propositions, we created and refined an RDB instrument from critical incidents described by employees (e.g., "must be contacted 2-3 times before responding"). We conducted a series of four interlocking studies to assess its distinctiveness from other relationship-oriented criteria, and to test its unique connections with proposed antecedents and outcomes. Using samples of 73 joint venture partners, 322 employed students, 157 small business owners, and 190 investment professionals in China, the U.S., and Hong Kong, via data from multiple sources (e.g., self, peers, subordinates, supervisors), we provide strong triangulated evidence for the construct validity of disruptive interpersonal behavior patterns. We suggest several ways that RDB can be used in future HR research, including tying it to social network concepts.