Does employees’ gender matter? Investigating the indirect effect of abusive supervision on employee creativity through job insecurity in Indonesia

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of abusive supervision on employees’ creativity through the mediating role of job insecurity and the moderating role of subordinate gender in Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from various sources using online recruitment methods. The abusive supervision scale, job insecurity scale and employee creativity scale were the three measures in this study. Participants completed a three-wave data collection procedure using an online survey platform. After removing participants with incomplete and careless responses, the final data set contained 515 usable responses. Findings The results suggested that the negative effect of abusive supervision on employees’ creativity was mediated by job insecurity, and employees’ gender moderated this adverse effect. Gender roles shaped how employees respond to their leader’s hostile behaviours. In Indonesia, abusive supervision increased employees’ job insecurity and consequently reduced their creativity. However, the damage was more profound for the male employees than the female employees. Practical implications Gender role theory and perspectives are essential in explaining leader–employee interactions and must be included in leadership strategies. Also, support and resources must be provided equally for both male and female employees. However, more attention must be given to male employees to ensure their security working in organisations. Finally, some interventions are necessary to mitigate the effect of abusive supervision. Originality/value This study offers insight into how male and female employees, in a traditional gender role culture like Indonesia, respond to their leader’s abusive behaviours.