Workplace bullying and team performance: the mediating role of team psychological contract breach

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between workplace bullying (WPB) and team performance (TP). And it also attempts to investigate the mediating role of team psychological contract breach (TPCB) in the relationship between WPB and TP. Design/methodology/approach Multiple sources and a time-lagged approach were applied at six-week intervals to 64 work teams across 12 different firms in Turkey to test the hypotheses. A linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between variables. Findings The results indicate that WPB leads to negative perceptions of TPCB, which, in turn, have a negative impact on TP. Research limitations/implications This study design cannot establish causality, in spite of the fact that the authors used time-lagged data to decrease common method bias. Practical implications Managers or team leaders can design activities or programs (i.e. counselling sessions) to promote group cohesiveness, as well as immediately address complaints from team members who feel aggrieved to counteract the negative effects of bullying and reprimand perpetrators; such actions can mitigate perceptions of psychological contract breach. Originality/value Few studies have been conducted to test the mediating role of TPCB in the team context. This study stands out as it examines the mediating effect of TPCB in the relationship between WPB and TP. The findings advance the understanding of how WPB could negatively affect TP in a mediation model.