What if my supervisor is a brown-noser? An attributional perspective investigating when and how subordinates differentially respond to supervisors' upward ingratiation

Purpose Drawing on attribution theory, this research developed a toggled switch model to examine when and how subordinates positively versus negatively respond to their supervisors' upward ingratiation. Design/methodology/approach A multi-method approach, including a scenario-based experiment and a three-wave field survey, was employed to ensure the reliability and validity of the findings. Findings When subordinates attribute supervisors' upward ingratiation to a high-level altruistic motive, they are likely to show gratitude to supervisor, which in turn, leads to increased organizational citizenship behavior toward both the supervisor (OCBI) and the organization (OCBO). Conversely, when subordinates make low-level altruistic motive attribution, they tend to exhibit hostility to the supervisor, which decreases OCBO. Originality/value This research addresses an underexplored inquiry, namely subordinates' reactions to their supervisors' upward ingratiation. By investigating subordinates' emotional and behavioral reactions from an attributional perspective, our research expands the scope of ingratiation research and enriches the emerging third-party perspective.