Chelsea Hutto
Learning Objective: Comprehension and Application. Through the following discussion, individuals will be able to recognize possible instances of CWB and interpret available information to implement possible solutions for CWB’s.
Personal Contribution Paragraph: As a contribution to this project, I have defined and explained the various aspects of counterproductive work behaviors and possible solutions to eliminate instances of this behavior. Additionally, I have discussed CWB in relation to various aspects of an organizational setting.
In the ever booming business world, the primary interest many businesses have is the bottom line, and with profits comes the nature of deficiency. As many individuals know, the profitability (or downfall) of an organization depends on an endless number of factors. Based on this information, it is not surprising that the concept of counterproductive work behaviors (CWB) has been widely researched and investigated to increase profitability and limit company losses, with the annual costs associated with
CWB reaching upwards of $200 billion (Diefendorff &Mehta, 2007). CWB has been defined as a situation when an employee intentionally behaves in a way that violates norms the organization has set and ultimately threatens the wellbeing of the organization and/or its members (Diefendorff & Mehta,
2007). As Skowronski (2012) discussed examples of CWB can include employees using the internet for personal use, socializing excessively, social loafing, or other misuses of company time and resources.
Fox and his colleagues have also suggested that behaviors such as work aggression, antisocial behavior, retaliation, or revenge all operate under the continuum of CWB (Fox, Spector, Goh, & Bruursema, 2007).
There have been multiple researchers who have sought out to determine the root causes of CWB, and in turn many different theories have been created to explain counterproductive work behavior. One such model is the Stressor-Emption Model, created by Fox et al., 2007, suggests many of the behaviors associated with CWB are responses to stressors in the workplace. Within this particular theory, the researchers take into account both stress and emotion theories, which suggests individuals monitor and appraise various events of the environment they are in, and emotion comes into play when the event is perceived as threatening to oneself (e.g., situational constraints, interpersonal conflict, and perceptions of injustice; Fox et al., 2007). Once this stress and emotion has taken place, individuals need various avenues to cope with such, which is where CWB comes in (Fox et al., 2007). Skowronski (2012) has suggested that when employees coping strategies are not in line with the interests of the organization, this leads to CWB’s. More specifically, CWB can be viewed as a way of expressing oneself (Skowronski,
2012). An alternative theory behind CWB suggested by Jensen and Raver (2012) is that employees engage in CWB as a form of organizational resistance when the organization has enacted power in illegitimate or unfair ways. This theory, although limited in its supporting research, is not hard to imagine especially due to the pronounced role injustice has on important aspects of the organization, such as absenteeism and turnover intentions. Lastly, researchers have also suggested CWBs can be caused by situational factors, coworker lack of performance, organizational constraints, and lack of expected rewards for OCB (Skowronski, 2012; Spector & Fox, 2010).
Another relationship that could play an important role in understanding and limiting CWB’s is that of boredom and CWB (Skowronski, 2012). More specifically, it has been suggested that boredom can be quite damaging to the employee, in that it can lead to reduced job satisfaction, greater strain experienced, increases in absenteeism, tardiness, and turnover (Skowronski, 2012). For both employers and employees, it is not hard to imagine the role of boredom on these various outcomes of the organization, more specifically with the employee performance being one of the highest predictors of

employee job satisfaction, various job elements such as being given too simplistic tasks, not enough job tasks, or excessive time to complete tasks, which could lead employees to become bored. Employees could interpret this as the organization having very little confidence in their ability to complete the tasks given which could lead to animosity or a number of various counterproductive work behaviors.
Question 1: Jim has been working for Wal-Mart for the past 3 years. When working at Wal-Mart Jim has been frequently required to switch shifts, positions, and tasks regardless of his high performance. As a result Jim has started altering his time sheet to show he has worked more hours than he actually has.
What is Wal-Mart’s best option to decrease this counterproductive work behavior? a) Place Jim back in his original position when hired. b) Explain to Jim, the reasons for transferring him so frequently was due to cost reduction made at the corporate level and will continue to take place regardless of the local stores input. c) Discuss with Jim which position and shift he would prefer to be placed back on and accommodate his needs as best as possible without harming the organization. d) Fire Jim.
For option A, placing Jim back in his original position may not be enough to eliminate his CWB displayed entirely. For option B, although this allows Jim to understand the reasons behind his constant transfers, but relays the image that the organization doesn’t really care about him that the bottom line is the main focus. For option C, this is the correct option because it relays the image that the organization values his opinion along with his hard work and that they will try and accommodate his needs as best they can. For option d, firing Jim will only create more costs of training and hiring another employee and will only breed animosity and bitterness for Jim and possibly other employees in the organization.
Question 2: Amelia has recently been promoted to manager (from cashier) for Whole Foods, and has been very satisfied with her position and the time she has spent with the company. This has been her “dream job” due to Whole Foods attention to sustainability for the environment, its employees, and customers.
But lately she has been displaying acts of social loafing and excessive socializing with customers and other employees. Which is the most likely cause of Amelia’s recent display of CWB’s? a) Amelia is bored. b) Amelia’s amount of stress has increased. c) Organizational constraints. d) Lack of excepted rewards.
For option A, Amelia is not very likely to be bored with her new position due its novelty and more tasks required of a manager vs. a cashier. For option B, this is the correct answer Amelia’s work load has increased and may feel overwhelmed at the additional tasks she has to perform vs. her previous position.
For option C, this is very unlikely due to the prominence, prestige, and success of Whole Foods displays in the grocery business as a whole. For option D, this is unlikely due to Amelia’s recent promotion and pay increase.