Effects of two-dimensional cyber incivility on employee well-being from a self-determination perspective

Shuai-Ping Xiao; Yi Lu; Yu Yan; Zhiqing E Zhou; Zhao-Xue Cao; Kai-Chen Zhao

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1137587

Effects of two-dimensional cyber incivility on employee well-being from a self-determination perspective

Front Psychol. 2023 Apr 11:14:1137587. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1137587. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Shuai-Ping Xiao¹, Yi Lu¹, Yu Yan¹, Zhiqing E Zhou², Zhao-Xue Cao¹, Kai-Chen Zhao¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
² Department of Psychology, Baruch College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States.

Abstract

The research attempts to explore the effects of two-dimensional cyber incivility on employee well-being. Based on self-determination theory and regulatory focus theory, we conducted two studies to examine the mediating role of intrinsic motivation and the moderating role of promotion focus between cyber incivility and emotional exhaustion. The results demonstrated that both active and passive cyber incivility predicted increased emotional exhaustion, with intrinsic motivation serving as a key mediator. There was no consistent conclusion of promotion focus's moderating role. High promotion focus might aggravate the negative effect of passive cyber incivility on intrinsic motivation. The present article provides deeper step towards understanding of cyber incivility, which also helps in the development of intervention strategies to lessen or avoid the negative impact of work-related stressful events on employee well-being.

Keywords: active; cyber incivility; emotional exhaustion; intrinsic motivation; passive; promotion focus.