The Dark Side of Leadership: “Kiss up- and slap down?”

This work offers a theory of how the relationship between abusive supervision, defined as non-physical workplace hostility, and levels of job satisfaction is mediated through individuals perception of organizational support on the one hand, and shared leadership practices on the other hand. The findings suggest that the variable 'perceived organizational support' in fact mediates the direct relationship between abusive supervision and levels of job satisfaction. This proves a valuable insight because only if the workings of abusive supervision are fully understood, can we turn our attention to the development of effective solutions to an ever growing issue, affecting not only individuals, but work organizations as a whole.