Relationship conflict and counterproductive work behavior: the roles of affective well-being and emotional intelligence

Abstract

We examine the mediating role of employees’ affective well-being in the relationship between relationship conflict and counterproductive work behavior (CWB) and how this process varies based on their emotional intelligence (EI). Using a time-lagged survey design, we found that affective well-being mediates the relationship between relationship conflict and CWBO (CWB directed toward the organization) but not CWBI (CWB directed toward individuals). Furthermore, the positive indirect effect of relationship conflict on CWBO via affective well-being was significant for employees who have high levels of EI but not for those with low levels of EI. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.