Gender and counterproductive work behavior (CWB): a personality-based explanatory model
type: CreativeWork
description: There is a gender gap in counterproductive work behavior (CWB), such that men report engaging in more counterproductivity at work than do women (Ng, Feldman, & Lam, 2016). The present study proposes an explanatory model for the CWB gender gap, using personality traits (narcissism, sadism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional intelligence) and sex role orientation (agency and communion) to explain the gap. Study 1 uses meta-analytic structural equation modeling to estimate the mediating effects of narcissism, sadism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional intelligence in the gender-CWB relationship. Study 2 extends this model using a primary data sample of working adults, and specifies sex role orientation (agency and communion) as mediating mechanisms through which gender relates to the personality traits. Primary data are also used to test hypothesized gender × sex role (congruence) effects (e.g., gender × agency interaction effects on personality traits) and show that agency is a stronger predictor of sadism for men than for women.
abstract: There is a gender gap in counterproductive work behavior (CWB), such that men report engaging in more counterproductivity at work than do women (Ng, Feldman, & Lam, 2016). The present study proposes an explanatory model for the CWB gender gap, using personality traits (narcissism, sadism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional intelligence) and sex role orientation (agency and communion) to explain the gap. Study 1 uses meta-analytic structural equation modeling to estimate the mediating effects of narcissism, sadism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional intelligence in the gender-CWB relationship. Study 2 extends this model using a primary data sample of working adults, and specifies sex role orientation (agency and communion) as mediating mechanisms through which gender relates to the personality traits. Primary data are also used to test hypothesized gender × sex role (congruence) effects (e.g., gender × agency interaction effects on personality traits) and show that agency is a stronger predictor of sadism for men than for women.
author: Amrhein, Rachel Lynn
language: en
keywords: counterproductive work behavior, personality, sadism, narcissism, agency, communion, gender, emotional intelligence, sex role orientation
date published: 2018-09-27T16:34:19Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:40Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/101711