Counterproductive Work Behaviours Help Regain a Sense of Power after a Broken Promise

Yingjie Li, Sabine Geurts, Johan Karremans, Fred Hasselman

Journal of Business Ethics · 2025

Abstract

When employers break promises, employees may engage in counterproductive work behaviours. Though traditionally viewed negatively, the current research examined whether such behaviours can help restore a sense of power, potentially leading to more constructive outcomes such as the employee’s willingness to reconcile. We conducted two studies (Study 1:N= 186; Study 2:N= 201) using autobiographical recollection and repeated measures to examine these questions. In both studies, we found that merely recalling a broken promise was associated with a significant drop in the sense of power employees experienced, while merely recalling counterproductive behaviours they had engaged in significantly increased their sense of power. Additionally, in Study 2 we found that this increased sense of power was associated with an increased willingness to reconcile with the employer. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the social psychology of counterproductive behaviour following broken promises.

Keywords

Counterproductive work behaviours (CWB), Sense of power, Willingness to reconcile

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