On May 28th, 2019, a new study of “The Indirect Relations of Workplace Incivility with Emotional Exhaustion and Supportive Behaviors via Self‐Blame: The Moderating Roles of Observed Incivility and Trait Emotional Control” was published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior by Dr. Jiajin Tong, assistant professor of School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University.

This paper explored the mechanism of self-blaming when employees expereinced workplace incivility from colleagues and proved the adaptiveness of self-blaming turning incivility into supportive behaviors. Workplace incivility encompasses a range of low-intensity antisocial behaviors such as making impolite and rude comments, disrespecting the target, and isolating the target from work or social activities. Althought incivility does not have obvious hurting intentions, a lot of evidence showed that it relates to anxious, depression, withdrawl, and other negative outcomes. However incivility as an interpersonal behvaior is evolved and may be adaptive in some cases. It may serve as a “warning” and help employees monitor own behaviors and find potential problems (e.g., poor performance). This “warning” could be stimulated by self-blaming. When people experienced incivlity while observe low levels of incivility in the work environment, they may have a better chance to attribute and blame the incivility to the self. This study based on Bandura’s (1991) self-regulation social theory and empirically provided a more balaned view in workplace incivility. It will help employees to better cope with incivility.

Dr. Jiajin Tong and Dr. SinHui Chong (was Michigan State University and now Nanyang Technological University in Sinapore) are co-first authors. Dr. Jiajin Tong is the corresponding author. We achieved great support and collaboration from Professor Russell E. Johnson (Michigan State University). This research recevied financial support from National Natural Science of China, Foundation of Beijing Key Loboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, and Beijing Positive Psychology Foundation.

Tong, J.#*, Chong, S.#, Johnson, R. (2019). The Indirect Relations of Workplace Incivility with Emotional Exhaustion and Supportive Behaviors via Self-Blame: The Moderating Roles of Observed Incivility and Trait Emotional Control. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40,931-946. DOI: 10.1002/job.2399 (# co-first authors; * correspondence)