Why do employees sometimes put up with an abusive boss? A new study from Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business offers some insight. It suggests that when a boss is seen as a high performer, employees are more likely to see abuse as “tough love.”
The study found that workers were less hostile to abusive bosses when those bosses performed well. In fact, employees often thought their careers could benefit from working under a successful, even if abusive, boss.
Reluctant to speak up
This suggests that employees are reluctant to call a successful boss abusive, even when the behavior deserves that label. The researchers explained, “If employees see their boss as a successful leader, that seems incompatible with being abusive. So they call the abuse ‘tough love’ instead.”
The study had two parts. The first surveyed 576 workers from different industries across the United States, three times over six weeks. Participants reported on their boss’s abusive behaviors and overall effectiveness. For those who reported abuse, the survey asked if they saw their boss as an abuser or as a “tough love” leader—described as “stern but caring,” “insensitive but nurturing,” and “rough but well-meaning.”
Results showed that employees were more likely to label a high-performing abusive boss as “tough love.” When the boss’s performance was seen as lower, employees were more likely to call them abusive.
Looking for silver linings
The researchers suggest that employees look for a silver lining. “These bosses may treat employees harshly, but presumably their intent is to help their followers realize their potential—that’s the ‘tough love’ part,” they explained. High performance suggests these leaders are good at developing their employees’ skills.
Employees of abusive but successful bosses often expected positive outcomes, like promotions, because of their experience. They were also less likely to retaliate against these high-performing bosses by disobeying or giving them the silent treatment.
The second part of the study took place in a lab. Here, 168 undergraduate students participated in a simulated team competition led by a supposed MBA student. Participants received either an abusive or non-abusive message from their “leader.” Then they were told whether their team performed above or below average.
Strong performance
As expected, participants who received the abusive message rated their leader as less abusive if their team did well. “We found that in a very short time, you could quickly reduce the labeling of a boss as abusive if the team performed well,” the researchers said. High performance lessened the willingness to call the leader abusive, even when the behavior was the same as leaders who were labeled abusive after poor team performance.
The researchers don’t endorse abusive behavior as a path to success. There’s strong evidence that abusive leadership is bad for employees and organizations. Other research suggests that high-performing bosses known for “tough love” might do even better with more accepted management techniques.
This study shows how employees respond to abusive supervision. “Our data show that followers hesitate to call leaders who are both abusive and successful ‘abusive.’ Employees think successful leaders can’t be abusive,” the authors concluded.
