How Leader’s Other-Oriented Perfectionism Drives Workplace Incivility via Employee Work Passion

Abstract

Leadership behavior plays a pivotal role in shaping employee attitudes and conduct, particularly in high-pressure service industries such as banking. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study investigates the relationship between Leaders’ Other-Oriented Perfectionism (LOOP) and Workplace Incivility (WPI), with Employee Work Passion (EWP) examined as a mediating mechanism. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional research design, data were collected from employees working in private banks in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, through a structured questionnaire. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS and Hayes’ PROCESS Macro to test direct and indirect relationships. The findings reveal that LOOP significantly predicts workplace incivility, indicating that leaders who impose unrealistically high standards on subordinates foster stressful and uncivil work environments. Moreover, employee work passion was found to partially mediate this relationship, suggesting that diminished passion serves as a psychological pathway through which perfectionistic leadership translates into uncivil behavior. The study contributes to leadership and organizational behavior literature by highlighting the detrimental consequences of other-oriented perfectionism and emphasizing the protective role of employee work passion in mitigating workplace incivility. Practical implications for leadership development and employee well-being are discussed.

Keywords- Leaders’ Other-Oriented Perfectionism, Workplace Incivility, Employee Work Passion, Banking Sector, COR Theory