Leadership styles and their Impact on Counterproductive Behaviour in the Workplace

Prior to conducting this research project the knowledge I had of counterproductive behaviour was limited. It was based on employee relationships and behaviours within teams. Leadership was a separate topic which I thought I understood and had a wide knowledge of but upon beginning my research I realise my knowledge focused mainly on the qualities of a good leader. I understood that good leadership traits promote productive behaviour but had I never considered the traits of leadership that can impact employee behaviour negatively. My first encounter with the term counterproductive behaviour was while in the second year of my business degree. The recommended course textbook discussed dysfunctional behaviours in the workplace. It describes these behaviours as “those that detract from rather than contribute to organisational performance” (Moorehead and Griffin, 2010, pp. 75). This definition is similar to other definitions explaining either deviant or counterproductive workplace behaviour. This textbook however mentions factors such as poor person job fit and the attitudes of the individual but mentions no other causes or factors of this behaviour. This shows counterproductive behaviour from the perspective that employee personality is the root of counterproductive behaviour. This perspective to me seems incomplete. My theory of counterproductive behaviour includes other factors which will affect the behaviour of employees. If we observe the counterproductive behaviour one can experience in other areas of their personal life for example, in schools children often misbehave in class and if they do not have a good relationship with a teacher or superior, they tend to misbehave even more. I also thought of the family unit; many children know the people in their family they can behave differently around. For example, sometimes they do not obey the rules set by their mother because they know she is lenient about punishments but often will strictly follow the rules set by their father because they know that he will reprimand them for their behaviour. This can change if the relationship between families becomes strained, for example if teenagers feel the rules are becoming too strict the often act out by not following any rules and behaving badly in their parents’ eyes. Each of the figures I have mentioned in these examples are leaders of some form at different stages of a person’s life, and I have seen in my own experience that relationships and the way these leaders treat me has a huge impact on how I will behave towards them. Could it therefore be the case that leadership in the workplace should be considered in the same way? The aim of my research is to complete the picture of counterproductive behaviour and conclude whether poor leadership can lead to counterproductive behaviour of subordinates in the workplace, and therefore good leadership can lead to more productivity from subordinates in the workplace. I am under the impression that employees who are well motivated, satisfied in their role and satisfied with their relationship with their leaders will be less likely to engage in behaviour such as tardiness, absenteeism and working slowly. I also presume that if employees are unmotivated, dissatisfied with their role leader relationships they will become less positive about work, work much more slowly, become disengaged with their tasks, are more likely to be late and absent from work. Therefore, the question I am asking is “How will different Leadership Styles Impact Counterproductive Behaviour in the Workplace?’