Social strife at work: unravelling the link between workplace relationship conflict and employee ostracism behavior
Abstract
Purpose
The importance of workplace inclusion continues to gain scholarly acclaim. However, in reality, many employees choose to ostracize their colleagues post workplace relationship strife. With this notion the present study aims to delve into the intricate linkages between workplace relationship conflict (WRC) and employee ostracism behavior (EOB), exploring the serial mediating roles of relational identification (RI) and emotional energy (EE). Additionally, the study examines the potential moderating effect of perceived forgiveness climate (PFC) to understand how forgiveness climate may serve as a boundary condition in shaping these crucial relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis utilized five-wave time-tagged data collected from 228 employees through scenario and survey methods. The Hayes PROCESS Macro was employed to examine the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results indicate a positive influence of WRC on EOB. Additionally, RI and EE sequentially mediate the relationship between WRC and EOB. Furthermore, PFC moderates the serial mediation process (RI and EE) between WRC and EOB as well as the adverse effects of WRC on RI.
Originality/value
Grounded in the theoretical framework of conservation of resource (COR) theory and cognitive-affective personality system (CAPS) theory, the present study offers new insights. By establishing the complicated interplay of RI and EE between WRC and EOB along with the moderating role of PFC, the study extends the understanding of the mechanisms involved, providing a more comprehensive perspective. By shedding light on these complicated interconnected links, the study paved the way for positive social dynamics at work.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express sincere gratitude to Mr. Madhav and Mr. Naveen for their assistance.
Funding: There is no funding obtained for the present study. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of conflict interest: The authors hereby declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Citation
Dahiya, R., Singh, A. and Pandey, A. (2024), "Social strife at work: unravelling the link between workplace relationship conflict and employee ostracism behavior", International Journal of Conflict Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-01-2024-0016
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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