The Effects of Active Constructive and Passive Corrective Leadership on Workplace Incivility and the Mediating Role of Fairness Perceptions

Abstract

Given the high costs of workplace deviance to employees and organizations, the question of when and how leaders can reduce or prevent uncivil interpersonal interactions at work is important. In this regard, we sought to understand the implications of one of the most widely cited models of leadership, the Full Range Leadership model, on workplace incivility through the lens of active constructive and passive corrective leadership. Analyzing multi-source data collected from 239 employee–coworker dyads working in diverse organizations, we find that active constructive leadership is related to decreased incidence of workplace incivility through its positive impact on fairness perceptions, whereas passive corrective leadership is both directly and indirectly (through diminished fairness perceptions) related to workplace incivility. This study provides theoretical and practical implications regarding the strategic focus of organizational interventions related to leadership in an effort to reduce workplace incivility and the mechanism by which it operates.