© 2020 STEVEN T. TSENG ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WHEN RESOURCE PRECEDES HUMAN IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: ORGANIZATIONAL DEHUMANIZATION AND THE ROLES OF HR ATTRIBUTIONS AND SUPERVISOR BOTTOM-LINE MENTALITY A Dissertation Presented to The Graduate Faculty of The University of Akron In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Steven T. Tseng May 2020 WHEN RESOURCE PRECEDES HUMAN IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: ORGANIZATIONAL DEHUMANIZATION AND THE ROLES OF HR ATTRIBUTIONS AND SUPERVISOR BOTTOM-LINE MENTALITY Steven T. Tseng Dissertation Approved: Accepted: _________________________________ _________________________________ Advisor Department Chair Dr. Paul E. Levy Dr. Paul E. Levy _________________________________ _________________________________ Committee Member Dean of the College Dr. James M. Diefendorff Dr. Linda M. Subich _________________________________ _________________________________ Committee Member Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Joelle D. Elicker Dr. Marnie M. Saunders _________________________________ _________________________________ Committee Member Date Dr. Andrea F. Snell _________________________________ Committee Member Dr. Erin E. Makarius ii ABSTRACT Organizational dehumanization refers to Worker perceptions of being treated as less than human by the organization that employs them. Current events suggest that this phenomenon is pervasive in modern organizations. Several accounts of workers feeling treated like robots, tools, or numbers on a spreadsheet have been featured in recent neWs reports in the popular media. Despite the apparent prevalence of organizational dehumanization in Workplaces today, there is a paucity of scientific research on the phenomenon. In particular, potential antecedents of this distinctive adverse experience have not been investigated extensively by empirical research to date. To address this gap in the academic literature, the present research examined two nascent constructs, human resource attributions and supervisor bottom-line mentality, as antecedents to organizational dehumanization. In addition, the present research also examined established and novel consequences as well as individual and organizational demographic correlates of organizational dehumanization. Results from an online survey of a sample of 401 employed adults recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk largely supported the theoretical frameWork proposed in the present research. Broadly, results of this study suggest that beliefs about the HR process and supervisor concern with meeting the bottom line impact the extent to which employees feel dehumanized by their organization and that organizational dehumanization predicts deleterious attitudinal and behavioral consequences. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Although my name is the only one listed in the author field, this Work reflects the combined efforts of the many people in my life Who helped make it possible. I am grateful for all the strength and support I received to get through the long and challenging journey of completing a PhD and writing a dissertation. To my advisor, Paul Levy, thank you for your guidance, encouragement, patience, confidence, inspiration, and of course, feedback. I could not have asked for a better coach, role model, and collaborator throughout my education and research endeavors. To my committee members, Jim Diefendorff, Joelle Elicker, Andee Snell, and Erin Makarius, thank you for your valuable insights and collegial approach throughout the entire process and for instilling in me a sense of pride and responsibility for my work. To my professors at The University of Akron, thank you for your invaluable expertise that formed my foundation as an industrial/organizational psychologist. To my friends I met in Akron, thank you for making the place home and the journey fun and enjoyable. I may have never considered embarking on this journey in the first place if not for the people who encouraged me early on. To my friends back in Berkeley and Vancouver, thank you for the continued camaraderie and social support. To my coaches and teammates at Kendo Club at Berkeley, Berkeley Kendo Dojo, and Renbu Dojo, thank you for instilling in me the determination and perseverance to accomplish the goals I set for myself. To my siblings, Paul, Alex, and Catherina, thank you for inspiring me through iv your own growth and development over the years. To Jamie, my partner and best friend, thank you for believing in me all this time, making my days brighter, and being part of a future to look forward to. To my mom, thank you for the unconditional love and tireless support you’ve provided all my life. And to my dad, thank you for everything you’ve done to make it so that my dreams are within reach. You continue to inspire me to this day. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ................................................................................1 Organizational Dehumanization: A Critical Workplace Consequence ...................2 Expanding the Nomological NetWork of Organizational Dehumanization Antecedents ..............................................................................................................4 Human Resource Attributions ......................................................................4 Supervisor Bottom-Line Mentality ..............................................................6 The Present Study ....................................................................................................8 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ..............................................................................................11 Organizational Dehumanization ............................................................................11 Human Resource Attribution Theory .....................................................................16 Typology of HR Attributions .....................................................................17 HR Attributions and Organizational Dehumanization ...............................19 Supervisor Bottom-Line Mentality ........................................................................21 Supervisor BLM and Organizational Dehumanization ..............................24 Supervisor BLM and HR Attributions .......................................................26 The Moderating Role of Supervisor’s Organizational Embodiment .........28 vi Consequences of Organizational Dehumanization ................................................31 Replicating Past Research on Consequences: Job Attitudes and Turnover Intentions ....................................................................................32 Organizational Dehumanization and Burnout ...........................................33 Organizational Dehumanization and Job Performance ..............................35 III. METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................38 Participants .............................................................................................................38 Procedure ...............................................................................................................40 Measures ................................................................................................................41 HR Attributions ..........................................................................................41 Organizational Dehumanization ................................................................42 Supervisor Bottom-Line Mentality ............................................................42 Supervisor’s Organizational Embodiment .................................................43 Job Satisfaction ..........................................................................................43 Affective Commitment ..............................................................................43 Turnover Intentions ....................................................................................44 Burnout ......................................................................................................44 Task Performance ......................................................................................44 Organizational Citizenship Behaviors .......................................................45 Counterproductive Work Behaviors ..........................................................45 HR Practices ...............................................................................................45 Organization Demographics ......................................................................46 Individual Demographics ...........................................................................46 Insufficient Effort Responding Items .........................................................47 vii Analytic Strategy ...................................................................................................47 IV. RESULTS ....................................................................................................................50 Descriptive Statistics ..............................................................................................50 Measurement Model ..............................................................................................55