Silent Suffering: Exploring the Far-Reaching Impact of Supervisor Ostracism via Sociometer Theory
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| Title: | Silent Suffering: Exploring the Far-Reaching Impact of Supervisor Ostracism via Sociometer Theory |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Binesh Sarwar (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education. 2025 17(2):791-806. |
| Availability: | Emerald Publishing Limited. Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1WA, UK. Tel: +44-1274-777700; Fax: +44-1274-785201; e-mail: emerald@emeraldinsight.com; Web site: http://www.emerald.com/insight |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 16 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Public Colleges, School Personnel, Supervisor Supervisee Relationship, Professional Isolation, Work Environment, Responses, Self Esteem, Resilience (Psychology), Employee Attitudes, Punishment, Job Performance, Motivation, Participative Decision Making, Employee Assistance Programs |
| Geographic Terms: | Pakistan |
| DOI: | 10.1108/JARHE-07-2023-0296 |
| ISSN: | 2050-7003 1758-1184 |
| Abstract: | Purpose: A limited number of empirical studies have indicated that individuals who experience workplace ostracism tend to engage in subtle and retaliatory behaviors as a means of seeking inner peace. However, research on organizational behavior and employee psychology in relation to ostracism is still in its nascent stages. Specifically, further investigation is warranted to explore how supervisor ostracism influences task procrastination (TP) through psychological processes such as self-efficacy, self-esteem and motivation. Notably, a significant gap exists in the ostracism literature, as it has yet to thoroughly examine employee behaviors related to knowledge hiding (KH) and TP in the context of individual or team-based work (Zhao et al., 2016; Brouwer and Jansen, 2019). Therefore, the present study aims to address this gap and expand the research stream within the education sector by introducing "threat to self-esteem" (TSE) as a mediating factor in the outcomes of ostracism. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a quantitative approach, using questionnaires to collect data and mainly focused on statistics and standards. The authors used SPSS and Smart-PLS to employ numerical values developed from questionnaire surveys. Likewise, we employed primary data collection tools, including mixed survey analysis (self-reported and peer-reported). The data were collected from middle-level managers working in three public sector universities. By using a three-wave research design with a two-week interval in each phase, we were able to separate the measurement of the predictor and moderator factor [supervisor ostracism (SO) and individual resilience (IR)], mediator (TSE) and outcome variables (KH and TP). Findings: The study has discovered a substantial relationship between variables, and all hypotheses are accepted according to the data results and findings. The study measures the effects of supervisor ostracism on knowledge hiding and task procrastination through mediating effect of threat to self-esteem, which individual resilience moderates. This study adds a few contributions to the current literature, following the goals stated above. First, this attempts to highlight employee KH behavior and TP behavior by identifying SO as the primary predictor. Research limitations/implications: The organization should closely monitor the level of workplace ostracism. One strategy to accomplish this goal is to routinely gauge the extent of ostracism at work using targeted techniques like surveys and observation. The organization can also create an employee assistance program for the workers to assist them in coping with the mistreatment and better adjusting to the workplace culture. Furthermore, employee empowerment and collaborative decision-making can boost workers' self-esteem, eventually leading to diminishing knowledge-hiding and procrastination habits inside the organization. Originality/value: There is a research gap regarding the barriers to KH from the perspective of team dynamics and interpersonal mistreatment at work because prior research has focused on knowledge sharing, organizational culture and organizational obstruction. Research on organizational behavior and employee psychology in relation to ostracism is still in its nascent stages. Specifically, further investigation is warranted to explore how SO influences TP through psychological processes such as self-efficacy, self-esteem and motivation. Notably, a significant gap exists in the ostracism literature, as it has yet to thoroughly examine employee behaviors related to KH and TP in individual or team-based work. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1464711 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: EJ1464711 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Silent Suffering: Exploring the Far-Reaching Impact of Supervisor Ostracism via Sociometer Theory – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Binesh+Sarwar%22">Binesh Sarwar</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5340-846X">0000-0002-5340-846X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Muhammad+Haris+ul+Mahasbi%22">Muhammad Haris ul Mahasbi</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Salman+Zulfiqar%22">Salman Zulfiqar</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Muhammad+Arslan+Sarwar%22">Muhammad Arslan Sarwar</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chunhui+Huo%22">Chunhui Huo</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4087-4389">0000-0003-4087-4389</externalLink>) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Applied+Research+in+Higher+Education%22"><i>Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education</i></searchLink>. 2025 17(2):791-806. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Emerald Publishing Limited. Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1WA, UK. Tel: +44-1274-777700; Fax: +44-1274-785201; e-mail: emerald@emeraldinsight.com; Web site: http://www.emerald.com/insight – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 16 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Colleges%22">Public Colleges</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Personnel%22">School Personnel</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Supervisor+Supervisee+Relationship%22">Supervisor Supervisee Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Professional+Isolation%22">Professional Isolation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Work+Environment%22">Work Environment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Responses%22">Responses</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Esteem%22">Self Esteem</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Resilience+%28Psychology%29%22">Resilience (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employee+Attitudes%22">Employee Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Punishment%22">Punishment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Job+Performance%22">Job Performance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Motivation%22">Motivation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Participative+Decision+Making%22">Participative Decision Making</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employee+Assistance+Programs%22">Employee Assistance Programs</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pakistan%22">Pakistan</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1108/JARHE-07-2023-0296 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 2050-7003<br />1758-1184 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Purpose: A limited number of empirical studies have indicated that individuals who experience workplace ostracism tend to engage in subtle and retaliatory behaviors as a means of seeking inner peace. However, research on organizational behavior and employee psychology in relation to ostracism is still in its nascent stages. Specifically, further investigation is warranted to explore how supervisor ostracism influences task procrastination (TP) through psychological processes such as self-efficacy, self-esteem and motivation. Notably, a significant gap exists in the ostracism literature, as it has yet to thoroughly examine employee behaviors related to knowledge hiding (KH) and TP in the context of individual or team-based work (Zhao et al., 2016; Brouwer and Jansen, 2019). Therefore, the present study aims to address this gap and expand the research stream within the education sector by introducing "threat to self-esteem" (TSE) as a mediating factor in the outcomes of ostracism. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a quantitative approach, using questionnaires to collect data and mainly focused on statistics and standards. The authors used SPSS and Smart-PLS to employ numerical values developed from questionnaire surveys. Likewise, we employed primary data collection tools, including mixed survey analysis (self-reported and peer-reported). The data were collected from middle-level managers working in three public sector universities. By using a three-wave research design with a two-week interval in each phase, we were able to separate the measurement of the predictor and moderator factor [supervisor ostracism (SO) and individual resilience (IR)], mediator (TSE) and outcome variables (KH and TP). Findings: The study has discovered a substantial relationship between variables, and all hypotheses are accepted according to the data results and findings. The study measures the effects of supervisor ostracism on knowledge hiding and task procrastination through mediating effect of threat to self-esteem, which individual resilience moderates. This study adds a few contributions to the current literature, following the goals stated above. First, this attempts to highlight employee KH behavior and TP behavior by identifying SO as the primary predictor. Research limitations/implications: The organization should closely monitor the level of workplace ostracism. One strategy to accomplish this goal is to routinely gauge the extent of ostracism at work using targeted techniques like surveys and observation. The organization can also create an employee assistance program for the workers to assist them in coping with the mistreatment and better adjusting to the workplace culture. Furthermore, employee empowerment and collaborative decision-making can boost workers' self-esteem, eventually leading to diminishing knowledge-hiding and procrastination habits inside the organization. Originality/value: There is a research gap regarding the barriers to KH from the perspective of team dynamics and interpersonal mistreatment at work because prior research has focused on knowledge sharing, organizational culture and organizational obstruction. Research on organizational behavior and employee psychology in relation to ostracism is still in its nascent stages. Specifically, further investigation is warranted to explore how SO influences TP through psychological processes such as self-efficacy, self-esteem and motivation. Notably, a significant gap exists in the ostracism literature, as it has yet to thoroughly examine employee behaviors related to KH and TP in individual or team-based work. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1464711 |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1108/JARHE-07-2023-0296 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 16 StartPage: 791 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries Type: general – SubjectFull: Public Colleges Type: general – SubjectFull: School Personnel Type: general – SubjectFull: Supervisor Supervisee Relationship Type: general – SubjectFull: Professional Isolation Type: general – SubjectFull: Work Environment Type: general – SubjectFull: Responses Type: general – SubjectFull: Self Esteem Type: general – SubjectFull: Resilience (Psychology) Type: general – SubjectFull: Employee Attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Punishment Type: general – SubjectFull: Job Performance Type: general – SubjectFull: Motivation Type: general – SubjectFull: Participative Decision Making Type: general – SubjectFull: Employee Assistance Programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Pakistan Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Silent Suffering: Exploring the Far-Reaching Impact of Supervisor Ostracism via Sociometer Theory Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Binesh Sarwar – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Muhammad Haris ul Mahasbi – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Salman Zulfiqar – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Muhammad Arslan Sarwar – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Chunhui Huo IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 14 M: 02 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 2050-7003 – Type: issn-electronic Value: 1758-1184 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 17 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education Type: main |
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