Understanding Workplace Interpersonal Mistreatment in the NZ Military: Structure, Antecedents and Consquences

This thesis describes the development and testing of a theoretically plausible model of antecedents and consequences of workplace interpersonal mistreatment using archival data (n = 10697) of civilian and military employees. The sample was split into calibration and validation samples. Principle component and confirmatory factor analysis revealed a complex structure for the workplace interpersonal mistreatment construct across three types of behaviour, and across observed and experienced mistreatment. Furthermore, a total of 17 robust factors were identified in the survey, of which a subset of eight factors was used for developing the model of antecedents and consequences of WIM. The model was tested and refined using regression and structural equation modelling in two samples and validated in a third sample. Individual (seniority), workplace (directive leadership, equity and diversity climate, and health and safety climate) and organisational features (aligned-cohesive culture, service culture) all predict mistreatment. Outcomes of mistreatment include stress, organisational commitment, job satisfaction and leaving intentions. The model showed good fit in the validation sample and is therefore likely to generalise to the population. Implications for organisations and recommendations for future research are discussed.