Rude bosses versus rude subordinates: How we respond to them depends on our cultural background

Abstract

Purpose

Workplace incivility has detrimental effects on targets of such behaviors and can lead to further conflict. This research aims to examine whether cultural differences in people’s approach to social respect and status may influence their responses to incivility displayed by superiors and subordinates.

Design/methodology/approach

Three studies (n = 1043) examined how people from honor cultures (southern states of the USA; Latin America) and dignity cultures (northern states of the USA) would perceive and respond to uncivil superiors relative to uncivil subordinates. Studies 1 and 2 used scenarios; in Study 3, employed participants recalled their own incivility experiences.

Findings

Participants from honor cultures were more likely to perceive the mistreatment negatively if it came from a superior than a subordinate (all studies) and more likely to indicate that they would retaliate against an uncivil superior than an uncivil subordinate (Studies 1 and 3). Moreover, for participants from honor cultures (but not from dignity cultures), anger mediated the relation between the appraisal of incivility and retaliation only when the offender was a superior (all studies).

Research limitations/implications

This research relied on scenarios and people’s recollections, focusing on a limited range of responses to incivility. Future research should conduct laboratory experiments and examine additional responses. Nevertheless, these findings suggest that being mistreated by a superior or a subordinate has different meanings and consequences for people from diverse cultures, which can have implications for cross-cultural work interactions.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this research is the first to compare people’s emotional and behavioral responses to uncivil superiors with their responses to uncivil subordinates in honor cultures.

Citation

Günsoy, C. (2020), "Rude bosses versus rude subordinates: How we respond to them depends on our cultural background", International Journal of Conflict Management, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 175-199. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCMA-01-2019-0012