Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB) in Response to Job Stressors and Organizational Justice: Some Mediator and Moderator Tests for Autonomy and Emotions

Relations among job stressors, perceived justice, negative emotional reactions to work, counterproductive work behavior (CWB), autonomy, and affective traits were investigated. Participants representing a wide variety of jobs across many organizations were surveyed both inside and outside a university setting. Results were consistent with a theoretical job stress framework in which organizational constraints, interpersonal conflict, and perceived injustice are job stressors, CWB is a behavioral strain response, and negative emotion mediates the stressor–strain relationship. Only very weak support was found for the moderating role of affective disposition (trait anger and trait anxiety), and no support was found for the expected moderating role of autonomy in the stressor–CWB relationship.