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Original Article

The Target of Incivility Cannot Be an Island

The Moderation Effect of Group-Level Incivility

Published Online:July 21, 2020https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000254

Abstract

Abstract. To address the inconsistencies regarding the effects of incivility on employee productivity and career satisfaction, this study adopted a multilevel approach to examine the cross-level moderating effect of department-level incivility on the negative impact of individual-level incivility. We tested our hypotheses using data from 717 faculty nested within 79 departments at a southwestern university. The hierarchical linear modeling results supported that individual-level incivility negatively related to career satisfaction but not productivity. Further, department-level incivility moderated the negative effects of individual-level incivility such that the negative effects of individual-level incivility on career satisfaction and productivity were reduced when most people in the department experienced incivility or when individuals were not singled out for being mistreated. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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