Moderating Role of Individual Cultural Differences on Supervisory Rating of Employee Performance and Behavior

Abstract

     Past research studies have focused on the relationship of the employee’s voice, helping, and counterproductive behavior and the increase in the likelihood that employees will receive favorable/ unfavorable evaluation for their actions. However, there is a gap in investigating the effect of a supervisor’s cultural differences that might influence the level of favorable/unfavorable evaluation. This article aims to identify the relations and address this gap by reviewing and summarizing the extant empirical and theoretical works to inform the state of the research, clarifying problems, and developing propositions that include the supervisor’s cultural difference, that is, individualistic versus collectivistic, as a moderator on the supervisor’s rating of an employee’s voice, helping, and counterproductive behavior. Taken as a whole, this review article organizes, integrates, and evaluates previous literature involving the favorable/unfavorable evaluation by the supervisor on employee’s voice, helping, and counterproductive behavior, and proposes the moderating effect of the supervisor’s individual cultural differences on such relationships. Furthermore, the article considers the progress of current research in order to provide directions for organizations to better manage or shape their employees’ voice and helping behavior or differentiate counterproductive behavior in a way that is consistent with the globally competitive environment including organizational goals and strategies. Implications and recommendations to solve the problems, and future research directions are provided.