My fault or yours? Leaders’ dual reactions to abusive supervision via rumination depend on their independent self-construal

In this research, we propose a novel goal-failure perspective based on cognitive theories of rumination to examine how leaders react to their own abusive supervision in distinct ways. Findings from two multi-wave, multisource field studies conducted with organizational leaders and an online experiment support hypotheses that leaders ruminate on their abusive behavior and this rumination triggers reconciliation efforts (a problem-solving reaction) or the blaming of victims (a self-serving reaction). In line with cognitive theories of rumination, leaders’ independent self-construal functions as a key qualifier for the effects of rumination, such that when they ruminate, leaders who have low levels of independent self-construal are more likely to seek reconciliation, whereas leaders who have high levels of independent self-construal are more likely to blame their victims. Furthermore, reconciliation is not significantly related to subordinates’ evaluation of their leaders’ effectiveness but blaming is negatively related to it. These findings are an important extension of nascent perpetrator-centric research regarding abusive supervision.