The dehumanization effect: New PSU research examines how abusive supervision impacts employee agency and burnout

(Press-News.org) New research co-led by Liu-Qin Yang, a professor of psychology at Portland State University (PSU), suggests that the true damage of a toxic boss goes far deeper than a bad mood — it fundamentally alters how employees perceive their own humanity. Published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, the study identifies “organizational dehumanization” as the primary mechanism that strips employees of their agency, leading to severe burnout and a collapse in workplace collaboration.

By conducting a dyad study in China and a longitudinal study in North America, the research team tracked how specific supervisor behaviors, such as ridicule or invading privacy, cause employees to feel more like "tools" or "cogs in a machine" than human beings.

“Abusive supervision compromises an employee’s sense of agency,” Yang said. “Our findings show that this sense of dehumanization creates two distinct pathways of destruction within a company’s culture.”

The researchers found that when an employee’s sense of humanity is compromised, it triggers a ripple effect through two specific channels. First, the internal toll manifests as a sense of inauthenticity, where employees feel they cannot be their true selves at work. This constant self-suppression leads directly to emotional exhaustion and severe burnout. Second, the study identified a social toll characterized by powerlessness. Believing they have no influence over their environment, these dehumanized employees become significantly less likely to engage in "interpersonal helping," the voluntary teamwork essential for organizational success.

The study also highlights a critical "safety net" known as chronic self-efficacy. Employees with a persistent belief in their own ability to overcome challenges were found to be less susceptible to the dehumanizing effects of a toxic manager. This internal resource allowed them to maintain their performance and sense of self despite an abusive environment.

The findings suggest that standard "fairness" initiatives are insufficient to protect a workforce from the dehumanization effect. Instead, the study advocates for a human-centric approach to management that restores employee agency.

“To mitigate these risks, organizations should adopt practices aimed at preventing leader abuse through development programs that emphasize respectful communication,” Yang noted. “By fostering employee self-efficacy and implementing human-centric management, companies can protect their most valuable asset — the humanity of their workforce.”

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