This article conceptualizes destructive speech strategies of managers as an independent driver of organizational outcomes. Despite extensive research on destructive leadership, abusive supervision, and workplace incivility, the communicative mechanisms through which managerial behavior affects employees remain underexplored. The study aims to develop a conceptual framework explaining how destructive speech strategies influence employee engagement, productivity, and turnover intention, and to assess their implications for organizational costs. The analysis integrates social exchange theory, conservation of resources theory, and the job demands–resources model. The findings suggest that systematically reproduced destructive verbal practices trigger a sequence of interrelated processes, including negative affective reactions, erosion of reciprocity, reduced cooperation, increased uncertainty, and resource depletion. These dynamics lead to lower engagement and job satisfaction and ultimately contribute to turnover intention. The study contributes to the literature by isolating the communicative dimension of managerial influence as a distinct analytical level and by linking micro-level speech practices to measurable organizational outcomes. It is argued that destructive speech strategies should be treated not as isolated interpersonal incidents but as a systemic factor of organizational costs. The practical implications lie in framing managerial communication as a manageable organizational variable, enabling interventions aimed at improving engagement, reducing turnover, and enhancing organizational effectiveness. The paper also highlights the relevance of these findings within the Russian organizational context.
destructive speech strategies, managerial communication, organizational communication, communicative mechanisms, employee engagement, turnover intention, organizational behavior, workplace communication
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