When Favoritism Breeds Apathy: How Leader Support Prevents Procrastination

What is it about?

This study examines how organizational cronyism—the perception that favoritism, rather than merit, drives success—can lead employees to procrastinate in their work. It focuses on organizational disidentification, or the sense of shame and psychological distancing employees feel from their organization, as a key reason behind this behavior. The study also investigates how a strong leader–member exchange relationship, characterized by trust and mutual respect between supervisors and employees, can weaken this damaging process. Using three-wave, time-lagged data from employees in diverse Pakistani organizations, the study shows that perceived favoritism in promotions, recognition, or rewards leads to feelings of alienation from the organization. This disidentification reduces motivation, fostering procrastination and lower productivity. However, employees with strong supervisor relationships stay more engaged, as supportive leaders help them feel valued and counter the negative emotions tied to perceived unfairness. For organizations, the findings reveal how favoritism can erode motivation and performance by damaging employees’ emotional connection to their workplace. Leaders can counteract this by treating employees fairly, maintaining open communication, and offering personal support to those who feel overlooked. Training managers to build trust-based relationships can reduce the risk that perceptions of cronyism evolve into disengagement or work delays, helping preserve morale and productivity even in politically charged environments.

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Photo by CoWomen on Unsplash

Photo by CoWomen on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is unique in identifying organizational disidentification as the mechanism through which favoritism-based practices promote procrastination, while highlighting leader–member exchange as a crucial buffer. It extends conservation of resources theory by showing that emotional distance from the organization represents a key form of resource loss that can translate into behavioral withdrawal. Its timeliness lies in its focus on Pakistani organizations, where favoritism and informal power dynamics often challenge fairness and motivation. As global firms grapple with similar issues of trust and transparency, the findings emphasize the importance of ethical leadership and high-quality supervision as tools to rebuild organizational identification and maintain commitment in environments where favoritism threatens engagement.