The moderating effects of personality on the relationship between change in work stressors and change in counterproductive work behaviours

摘要

We examined the relationship between change in work stressors and change in counterproductive work behaviours (CWBs) over 6months using three waves of data. Increases in work stressors (i.e., interpersonal conflict and organizational constraints) were positively associated with both increases in CWBs (trend effects) and subsequent levels of CWBs (delayed-reaction effects). Personality characteristics (i.e., agreeableness and conscientiousness) were examined as moderators of the trend effects and delayed-reaction effects. As expected, the trend effect was stronger for low-agreeableness (or low-conscientiousness) workers than for high-agreeableness (or high-conscientiousness) workers. Contrary to expectations, however, the delayed-reaction effect was not consistently moderated by personality. We recommend that organizations recognize the potential for delayed consequences when estimating the effects of changes to the work environment. Organizations may also consider using individually tailored training methods (based on the worker's unique personality) to instruct workers about effective coping strategies.