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Zheng, MX, Van Dijke, M 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9974-5050, Narayanan, J and De Cremer, D,
2017.
When expressing forgiveness backfires in the workplace: victim power moderates the effect of expressing forgiveness on transgressor compliance.
European Journal of Work & Organizational Psychology.
ISSN 1359-432X
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Abstract
Expressing (vs. withholding) forgiveness is often promoted as a beneficial response for victims. In the present research we argue that withholding (vs. expressing) forgiveness can also be beneficial to victims by stimulating subsequent transgressor compliance – a response that is valuable in restoring the victim’s needs for control. Based on deterrence theory, we argue that a victim’s withheld (vs. expressed) forgiveness promotes transgressor compliance when the victim has low power, relative to the transgressor. This is because withheld (vs. expressed) forgiveness from a low-power victim elicits transgressor fear. On the other hand, because people are fearful of high-power actors, high-power victims can expect high levels of compliance from a transgressor, regardless of whether they express forgiveness or not. A critical incidents survey (Study 1) and an autobiographic recall study (Study 2) among employees, as well as a laboratory experiment among business students (Study 3) support these predictions. These studies are among the first to reveal that withholding forgiveness can be beneficial for low-power victims in a hierarchical context – ironically, a context in which offering forgiveness is often expected.
| Item Type: | Journal article |
|---|---|
| Publication Title: | European Journal of Work & Organizational Psychology |
| Creators: | Zheng, M.X., Van Dijke, M., Narayanan, J. and De Cremer, D. |
| Publisher: | Routledge on behalf of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) |
| Date: | 20 October 2017 |
| ISSN: | 1359-432X |
| Identifiers: | Number Type 10.1080/1359432X.2017.1392940 DOI |
| Divisions: | Schools > Nottingham Business School |
| Record created by: | Jill Tomkinson |
| Date Added: | 22 Nov 2017 10:08 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Oct 2018 03:00 |
| URI: | https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/32074 |
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