Purpose

In the workplace, forgiveness can increase positive interactions between the victim and offender in the aftermath of a conflict. As an important intrapersonal factor in an organization, a victim’s power motives may shape one’s forgiveness. However, previous research shows inconsistent results because it only considers explicit power motives while ignoring the possible contingent role of implicit power motives in influencing forgiveness. This paper aims to consider both implicit and explicit power motives and aims to examine their joint effect on interpersonal forgiveness in the workplace conflict.

Design/methodology/approach

Polynomial regressions with response surface analysis were conducted with 415 Amazon Mechanical Turk users. Implicit power motives were measured by using a modified picture story exercise technique, whereas explicit power motives were measured via self-response scales.

Findings

First, congruence in power motives was associated with higher empathy and forgiveness than incongruence. In addition, high-implicit/high explicit power motives led to higher level of empathy and forgiveness than low-implicit/low-explicit power motives. Furthermore, directional power motive incongruence had an additive effect on forgiveness, such that discrepantly low-implicit/high-explicit power motives were more detrimental to empathy and forgiveness than discrepantly high-implicit/low-explicit power motives. Finally, empathy underlies the combined effect of implicit and explicit power motives on forgiveness.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that in a workplace conflict, managers should consider an employee’s explicit and implicit motives. To build the harmony group work climate, managers can improve intrapersonal implicit–explicit power motive congruence by providing developmental support and training focusing on self-enhancement and self-affirmation with the low-explicit-powerful employees. Further, to promote forgiveness in a conflict, organizations can use empathy-based exercise and provide team building activities to increase employees’ empathy and perspective-taking toward others.

Originality/value

By integrating implicit–explicit framework, this paper conciliates previous studies investigating the relationship between power and forgiveness by proposing that the two types of power motives, implicit and explicit power motives, jointly influences a victim’s forgiving tendency. This study serves as a meaningful touchstone for future research to consider both implicit and explicit power motives into the organizational conflict framework.

中文翻译：

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内隐-外显的权力促使工作场所冲突中的一致性和宽恕：移情的中介作用

目的

在工作场所，宽恕可以在冲突后增加受害者和罪犯之间的积极互动。作为组织中重要的人际关系因素，受害人的权力动机可能会影响人的宽恕。但是，先前的研究显示出不一致的结果，因为它只考虑了明确的动力动机，而忽略了隐式动力动机在影响宽恕方面可能的或有作用。本文旨在考虑隐性和显性权力动机，并探讨它们在工作场所冲突中对人际宽恕的共同影响。

设计/方法/方法

使用415个Amazon Mechanical Turk用户进行了带有响应面分析的多项式回归。内隐的动力动机是通过使用改进的图画故事锻炼技术来衡量的，而外显的动力动机是通过自我反应量表来衡量的。

发现

首先，权力动机上的一致性比不一致性上的同理心和宽容更高。此外，高内隐/高外显动力动机比低内隐/低外显动力动机导致更高的同理心和宽恕。此外，定向动力动机的不一致性对宽恕有累加作用，因此，与隐含的高内隐/低外显动力相比，低内隐/高外显的动力动机对移情和宽恕的危害更大。最后，同情是内在和外在动机动机对宽恕的综合作用的基础。

实际影响

调查结果表明，在工作场所冲突中，管理人员应考虑员工的显式和内隐动机。为了营造和谐的团队合作氛围，管理人员可以通过提供针对低自我表达能力的员工的自我增强和自我肯定的发展支持和培训，来提高人际内隐与自我表达动力的一致性。此外，为了促进冲突中的宽恕，组织可以使用基于移情的练习并提供团队建设活动，以提高员工的移情和对他人的看法。

创意/价值

通过整合隐性-显性框架，本文提出了暗示权力的两种类型的动机，即内隐性动机和显性性动机共同影响受害者的宽恕趋势，从而使以往研究权力与宽恕之间的关系变得容易。这项研究为将来的研究提供了有意义的试金石，将隐性和显性权力动机纳入组织冲突框架。