When The Boss Ignores Punishment Norms: Power, Punishment Norms, and Leniency

Abstract: Organizational punishment norms prescribe that managers respond to employee misconduct with punishment rather than leniency. We propose that such norms increase punishment severity, but that managers’ power attenuates this effect. An online survey of managers supports this prediction: organizational punishment norms were positively associated with punishment severity when managers’ power was low, but not when power was high. We further theorize implications for employees’ justice perceptions, arguing that norm-driven, disproportionate punishment is likely to be perceived as unjust, especially when misconduct is minor. We outline an ongoing multi-wave, multi-source field study testing these downstream effects and the moderating role of misconduct severity. Our study nuances the emerging consensus that power increases punishment severity by identifying when and why power does not fuel punitiveness. Instead, power may insulate managers from strong punishment norms and the negative justice evaluations that may follow.

Keywords: Organizational punishment norms; Power; Punishment; Field study