IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v12y2025i1d10.1057_s41599-025-04811-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Punish or help? Third parties’ constructive responses to witnessed workplace incivility: the role of political skill

Author

Listed:
  • Kaichen Zhao

    (Wuhan University)

  • Yu Yan

    (Wuhan University)

  • Zhiqing E. Zhou

    (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

  • Shuaiping Xiao

    (Wuhan University)

  • Donglu Shan

    (Wuhan University)

  • Mujahid Iqbal

    (Wuhan University)

Abstract

Existing workplace incivility research from the perspective of third parties has been found to be limited in explaining the specific boundary conditions of their constructive responses, such as punishing the instigator and helping the target. The lack of relevant knowledge hinders a comprehensive understanding of the coping strategies favoured by third parties. Building on the deontic model and the value protection model, this research involved two sub-studies with a total of 710 Chinese employees, employing a scenario experiment (Study 1) and a time-lagged survey (Study 2). The results showed that witnessed incivility positively predicted third parties’ workplace ostracism against the instigator, with moral anger acting as a mediator. The research did not identify a direct link between witnessed incivility and third parties’ organisational citizenship behaviour towards the target. However, the mediating role of moral anger between these two variables was found in Study 1. Moreover, Study 1 indicated that political skill strengthened the relationship between witnessed incivility and moral anger, but weakened the relationship between moral anger and third parties’ workplace ostracism against the instigator or their helping behaviour towards the target—findings partially supported by Study 2. These insights provide a practical and theoretical understanding of how organisations can utilise the role of third parties to intervene in workplace incivility effectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Kaichen Zhao & Yu Yan & Zhiqing E. Zhou & Shuaiping Xiao & Donglu Shan & Mujahid Iqbal, 2025. "Punish or help? Third parties’ constructive responses to witnessed workplace incivility: the role of political skill," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-04811-1
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-04811-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-025-04811-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-025-04811-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shahid Mehmood & Maham Rasool & Masood Ahmed & Hossam Haddad & Nidal Mahmoud Al-Ramahi, 2024. "Role of workplace bullying and workplace incivility for employee performance: Mediated-moderated mechanism," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(1), pages 1-21, January.
    2. Fiori, M. & Krings, F. & Kleinlogel, E. P. & Reich, Tara C., 2016. "Whose side are you on? Exploring the role of perspective taking on third-party’s reactions to workplace deviance," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 67478, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Ni, Dan & Yang, Mengxi & Luo, Senhan & Chen, Wansi, 2024. "A third-party perspective for examining employee reactions to witnessing coworker incivility towards customers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    4. Reich, Tara C. & Hershcovis, M. Sandy, 2015. "Observing workplace incivility," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 57943, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Iain Coyne & Alana-Marie Gopaul & Marilyn Campbell & Alexandra Pankász & Robyn Garland & Frances Cousans, 2019. "Bystander Responses to Bullying at Work: The Role of Mode, Type and Relationship to Target," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(3), pages 813-827, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Isabel Carmona-Cobo & Eva Garrosa & Esther Lopez-Zafra, 2021. "Workers’ Observation of Uncivil Leadership: Is Tolerance for Workplace Incivility a Gendered Issue?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-14, May.
    2. Joon Hyung Park & Min Z. Carter & Richard S. DeFrank & Qianwen Deng, 2018. "Abusive Supervision, Psychological Distress, and Silence: The Effects of Gender Dissimilarity Between Supervisors and Subordinates," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(3), pages 775-792, December.
    3. Xiaowan Lin, 2015. "How does procedural justice climate influence individual outcomes? An affective perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 771-800, September.
    4. Hershcovis, M. Sandy & Neville, Lukas & Reich, Tara C. & Christie, Amy M. & Cortina, Lilia M. & Shan, J. Valerie, 2017. "Witnessing wrongdoing: The effects of observer power on incivility intervention in the workplace," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 45-57.
    5. Hagen Rafeld & Sebastian G. Fritz-Morgenthal & Peter N. Posch, 2020. "Whale Watching on the Trading Floor: Unravelling Collusive Rogue Trading in Banks," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(4), pages 633-657, September.
    6. Nur Afni Khairunisa & Muafi Muafi, 2022. "The effect of workplace well-being and workplace incivility on turnover intention with job embeddedness as a moderating variable," International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy (2687-2293), Bussecon International Academy, vol. 4(1), pages 11-23, January.
    7. Haq, Inam ul & Azeem, Muhammad Umer & Rasheed, Maria & Anwar, Farooq, 2024. "How does witnessing coworker ostracism differentially elicit victim-directed help and enacted ostracism: The mediating roles of compassion and schadenfreude, moderated by dispositional envy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    8. Ni, Dan & Yang, Mengxi & Luo, Senhan & Chen, Wansi, 2024. "A third-party perspective for examining employee reactions to witnessing coworker incivility towards customers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    9. Xiaojun Zhan & Xiaoting Zhao & Yirong Guo & Zhicheng Li & Xin Qin, 2024. "Revenge or forgiveness? The dual-path mechanism of employee coping with experienced incivility from an attribution perspective," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 2359-2387, December.
    10. Her-Ting Huang & Chieh-Peng Lin, 2019. "Assessing ethical efficacy, workplace incivility, and turnover intention: a moderated-mediation model," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 33-56, February.
    11. Muhammad Rashid Ali & Badar Nadeem Ashraf & Chuanmin Shuai, 2019. "Teachers’ Conflict-Inducing Attitudes and Their Repercussions on Students’ Psychological Health and Learning Outcomes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-16, July.
    12. Uju Violet Alola & Turgay Avci & Ali Ozturen, 2018. "Organization Sustainability through Human Resource Capital: The Impacts of Supervisor Incivility and Self-Efficacy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, July.
    13. Meglich Patricia & Porter Tracy & Day Nancy, 2020. "Does sexual orientation of bullying target influence bystander response?," The Irish Journal of Management, Sciendo, vol. 39(1), pages 17-33, August.
    14. Zhu, Luke (Lei) & Aquino, Karl & You, Huan & Yang, Chunjiang, 2021. "Identity affirmation as a response to justice failure," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 189-205.
    15. Kelly Z. Peng & Zhijun Chen & Iris D. Zhang & Jinsong Li, 2021. "Unwilling to leave the good Samaritans: How peer interpersonal-oriented citizenship behaviors retains “me”," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(2), pages 669-685, June.
    16. Lijing Zhao & Long W. Lam & Julie N. Y. Zhu & Shuming Zhao, 2022. "Doing It Purposely? Mediation of Moral Disengagement in the Relationship Between Illegitimate Tasks and Counterproductive Work Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(3), pages 733-747, September.
    17. Omer Farooq Malik & Shaun Pichler, 2023. "Linking Perceived Organizational Politics to Workplace Cyberbullying Perpetration: The Role of Anger and Fear," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 186(2), pages 445-463, August.
    18. Kay, Adam A. & Masters-Waage, Theodore C. & Reb, Jochen & Vlachos, Pavlos A., 2023. "Mindfully outraged: Mindfulness increases deontic retribution for third-party injustice," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    19. Kristin Bain & Kathryn Coll & Tamar A. Kreps & Elizabeth R. Tenney, 2025. "Silenced by Incivility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 198(1), pages 107-125, April.
    20. Jeremy D. Mackey & John D. Bishoff & Shanna R. Daniels & Wayne A. Hochwarter & Gerald R. Ferris, 2019. "Incivility’s Relationship with Workplace Outcomes: Enactment as a Boundary Condition in Two Samples," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 513-528, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-04811-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.