Abusive leadership and employee silence: interactional justice as a mediator

This study aimed to examine the associations between interactional justice and two forms of silence such as acquiescent and deviant and the mediating role of interactional justice on the relationship between abusive leadership and silence (such as acquiescent and deviant). We gathered replies from 615 full time employees working in manufacturing industry. We utilized the structural equation modeling method to test the hypotheses. We advise use of suitable punishment methods to reduce the mistreatment of supervisors and treat employees with respect and fairness to enhance employees’ perceived interactional justice. Moreover, we suggest companies encourage employees to take part in decision-making processes and create communication methods to increase communication quality. The findings suggested that abusive leadership mitigates employees’ perception of interactional justice and interactional justice reduces acquiescent silence. Moreover, the results revealed that interactional justice mediated the link between abusive leadership and acquiescent silence. Further, the findings indicated an insignificant association between interactional justice and deviant silence. This study aimed to examine the link between interactional justice and two forms of silence such as acquiescent and deviant and the mediating role of interactional justice on the link between abusive leadership and acquiescent and deviant silence.