Title: Abusive supervision fosters employees' silence: the mediating role of avoidance orientation and moderating role of leader-member exchange

Authors: Aqsa Jalil; Muhammad Sarmad; Muhammad Qaiser Shafi

Addresses: Riphah School of Leadership (RSL), Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan ' Riphah School of Leadership (RSL), Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan ' Riphah School of Leadership (RSL), Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Abstract: This research study investigates the mediating role of avoidance orientation between abusive supervision and employees' silence. It also aims to analyse the moderating role of leader-member exchange between abusive supervision and avoidance orientation. The conservation of resource theory is utilised to predict the hypothetical relationships. Data were collected from 210 permanent employees of the hospitality sector. The data was gathered in time lags to avoid common method bias and self-serving bias. The latest statistical techniques were executed through SPSS and AMOS to analyse the data. The results disclosed that abusive supervision predicts employees' silence and avoidance orientation mediates the relationship between abusive supervision and employees' silence. Moreover, the leader-member exchange moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and avoidance orientation. Thus, the theoretical and managerial implications are deliberated for the target sector in particular and other sectors in general.

Keywords: abusive supervision; avoidance orientation; employees' silence; leader-member-exchange; LMX.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2023.130641

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 2023 Vol.17 No.3, pp.291 - 308

Received: 30 Dec 2020
Accepted: 22 Feb 2021
Published online: 02 May 2023 *

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