Program Overview

---

Program Overview

The program in question is a PhD opportunity at Loughborough University, focusing on the reconceptualization of abusive leadership behaviors and their impact on employee wellbeing. The project aims to develop a novel measurement approach to assess the incidence of abusive leadership in organizations.

Qualification(s) Available

• PhD

Entry Requirements

• At least a 2:1 honors degree (or equivalent) with a UK master's degree (with an average program mark of no less than 65%) or international equivalent.

Fees for Entry

• UK fee: £5,006 Full-time degree per annum
• International fee: £22,360 Full-time degree per annum

Duration and Start Date

• Full-time: 3 years
• Start date: October 2025, January 2026

Application Deadline

• 1 October 2025

Project Reference

• LB25-NB-unfunded

Location

• Loughborough

Subject Area(s)

• Business and Economics

Project Details

Prior research on leadership suffers from construct inadequacy. Thus, while it has drawn conclusions on how leadership can facilitate effectiveness, these may be erroneous given the flawed conceptualization and measurement of leadership. The proposed project draws on leading research which suggests that existing measurement tools for assessing leadership generally, including abusive leadership specifically, conflate behavioral judgments with evaluative judgments. This poses a major problem for the field and practitioners.

For example, existing measures suffer from being double-barreled, subject to interpretation, and most importantly, being non-behavioral in nature. More specifically, measurement of abusive leadership behavior conflates assessments of behavior with underlying intentions, motives, and effects. It is therefore unclear, if it is in fact abusive leadership behavior, or subjective evaluations, which determine outcomes. Any conclusions drawn on the effects of leader behavior on outcomes, such as wellbeing, are as a result flawed. We thus currently lack understanding on how behaviors of abusive leadership themselves affect employee outcomes, such as wellbeing.

To remedy this, the proposed project aligns with best practice on the development of more appropriate measurement tools which have clear behavioral counterfactuals, in order to more readily allow examination of the effects of leader behavior on important employee outcomes. To do this, we employ rigorous quantitative methods, and a mixed methods approach to scale development, to capture experiences of abusive leadership behaviors at work, which will be fed into the development of a new measurement tool. Daily diary studies will be used to validate the measurement tool and investigate the implications of abusive leadership for employee wellbeing.

Theoretically, it is anticipated that a rigorously developed behavioral measurement tool for abusive leadership will be widely adopted by researchers within the field who are privy to the aforementioned concerns. Practically, given the detrimental effects abusive supervision could have for employee wellbeing, effective measurement will allow us to better capture what abusive leadership looks like in organizations, so that we can diagnose and subsequently remedy the problematic behaviors through evidence-based leadership interventions, before their harmful impact transpires.

The overall aims of the proposed PhD study are to:

1. Explore and identify the behavioral manifestation of abusive leadership.
2. Develop and validate a novel and robust measurement tool for assessing incidence of abusive leadership in organizations, in order to address previous major shortcomings (e.g., conflation of behaviors with their effects on outcomes).
3. Examine the predictors and effects of abusive leadership behaviors on employee wellbeing.

Supervisors

• Primary supervisor: Dr. Nishat Babu
• Secondary supervisors: Dr. Erik Dietl, Professor Alexandros Psychogios

English Language Requirements

Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Loughborough Business School requires a minimum IELTS band 7.0 or above with not less than 7.0 in each component.

How to Apply

1. Put together your research proposal (between 2,500 to 3,000 words including references). Share your research proposal with the identified supervisor(s) and confirm they are willing to be named in support of your application. You are also encouraged to ask for feedback to develop your research proposal.
2. All applications should be made online. Under program name, select ‘Business School'. Please upload with your application a research proposal, copies of your transcripts/certificates, English language certificate, and contact details of two academic references, one of which must be from your most recent degree. Please quote the project reference number: LB25-NB-unfunded.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria will be used by academic schools to help them take a decision on your application.

International Entry Requirements

The University uses the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities to identify the required final mark for entry from China. For other countries, specific requirements are listed:

• Afghanistan: Masters, 95%
• Albania: Diplomë e Nivelit të Pare, 9.5
• Algeria: Licence, 16
• Argentina: Licenciatura, 8.5
• Armenia: Bakalavri Kochum, 90%
• Australia: Honours degree, First Class, 80%
• Austria: Degree, A, 1.5
• Azerbaijan: Bakalavr Diplomu, 4.5
• Bahamas: Degree from University of the West Indies, 1st, GPA 3.6
• Bahrain: GPA 4.0 scale, 3.5
• Bangladesh: 4 Year Bachelor of Science in Engineering, 1st, 70%
• Barbados: University of the West Indies, 1st, GPA 3.6
• Belarus: Specialist Diploma, 9
• Belgium: Bachelor degree, 80%
• Belize: Degree from University of the West Indies, 1st, GPA 3.6
• Benin: Maitrise, 18
• Bermuda: Degree from University of the West Indies, 1st, GPA 3.6
• Bolivia: Licenciado, 8.5
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Diplom Visokog Obrazovanja, 10
• Botswana: Master's degree, A, 80%
• Brazil: Bacharel or Licenciado, 8.5
• Brunei: First
• Bulgaria: Diploma za Zavarsheno Visshe Obrazovanie, 6
• Burundi: Masters or Diplôme d'Études Approfondies, 18
• Cambodia: Masters, 80%
• Cameroon: Bachelor degree, 1st, 3.6
• Canada: GPA 4.0/Percentage, 3.7/85%
• Chile: Grado de Licenciado, 6
• China: Shanghai Rank Top 250, 83%
• Colombia: Licenciado, 4.5
• Costa Rica: Licenciado, 9
• Croatia: Baccalaureus, 4.5
• Cuba: Titulo de Licenciado, 5
• Cyprus: Bachelor degree, 8.5
• Czech Republic: Bakalár, 1
• Denmark: Candidatus, 12
• Dominican Republic: Licenciado, 3.8
• Ecuador: Título de Licenciado, 8.5
• Egypt: Bachelor degree, 3.5
• El Salvador: Licenciado, 8.5
• Estonia: Bakalaureusekraad, 5
• Ethiopia: Masters, A, GPA 4.0
• Finland: Kandidaattii, 3
• France: Licence, 14
• Georgia: 4-year degree, 5
• Germany: German Bachelor, 1.5
• Ghana: Bachelor degree, First
• Greece: Universities, 8.5
• Grenada: Degree from University of West Indies, 1st, GPA 3.6
• Guatemala: Licenciado, 90%
• Guyana: Master's, GPA 4
• Honduras: Título de Licenciado, GPA 5
• Hong Kong: First, 3.5
• Hungary: Alapfokozt, 4.5
• Iceland: Baccalaurreatus degree, 8.5
• India: Institutions listed on the National Institutional Ranking Framework, 65%
• Indonesia: Sarjana I, 3.3
• Iran: Bachelor degree, 17
• Iraq: Bachelor degree, 80%
• Ireland: Bachelor degree, First, 70%
• Israel: 3 yr Bachelor Degree, 90%
• Italy: Diploma di Laurea, 109/110
• Ivory Coast: Diplome d'Etude Approfondies, 16
• Jamaica: For degrees studied at The University of West Indies, 1st, GPA 3.6
• Japan: Gakushi, 85%
• Jordan: GPA 4.0 scale, 3.5
• Kazakhstan: GPA 5.0 scale, 4.5
• Kenya: Bachelor degree, First, 70%
• Kosovo: Bachelor degree, 10
• Kuwait: GPA 4.0 scale, 3.6
• Latvia: Bachelor degree, 9
• Lebanon: American, 90%
• Liberia: Master's, 4.0
• Libya: BSc Engineering, 85%
• Lithuania: Bachelor degree, 9
• Luxembourg: Bachelor degree, 18
• Macau: Bachelor degree, 1st, GPA 3.7
• Macedonia: Magistar, 10
• Malawi: Master's, A, 80%
• Malaysia: Bachelor degree, First Class
• Malta: Bachelor degree, 1st, 80%
• Mauritius: Bachelor degree, 1st, 70%
• Mexico: Licenciado, 8.5
• Moldova: Diploma de Licenţă, 9
• Mongolia: Диплом Специалиста, 90%
• Montenegro: Diploma of Completed Undergraduate Studies, 10
• Morocco: Diplôme d'Ingénieur d'État, 16
• Mozambique: Mestrado, 16
• Myanmar (Burma): 2 year Master's degree, 5
• Namibia: 4-year Bachelor Honours, 80%
• Nepal: 4 -year professional degree, 80%
• Netherlands: Bachelor degree, 8
• New Zealand: 4 Year Honours degree, First, 7.0
• Nicaragua: Licenciado, 90%
• Nigeria: 7 point Scale, 6
• Norway: Norway, A, 1.8
• Oman: GPA 4.0 scale, 3.5
• Pakistan: 4 Year degree, A-, GPA 3.7
• Palestine: Bachelor (4-years), 85%
• Panama: Licenciado, 91
• Papua New Guinea: Bachelor (Honours) Degree, 1st
• Paraguay: Título de Licenciado, 4.5
• Peru: Título de Licenciado, 14
• Philippines: Degree from prestigious state universities, Summa Cum Laude, 4.0
• Poland: Bachelor Degree, 5
• Portugal: Diplom de Estudos Superiores Especializados, 18
• Qatar: GPA 4.0 scale, 3.5
• Romania: Diploma de Licenta, 9
• Russia: Bakalavr, 4.5
• Rwanda: 4 year bachelor (Hons) degree, 1st, 16/20
• Saudi Arabia: GPA 4.0 scale, 3.5
• Senegal: Maitrise, 16/20
• Serbia: Diplomirani, 9
• Sierra Leone: Honours degree, 1st, 70%
• Singapore: Bachelor (Hons), First
• Slovakia: Bakalár, 1.5
• Slovenia: University Diplom, 9
• South Africa: Bachelor (Honours), 1st, 75%
• South Korea: GPA out of 4.5, 3.8
• Spain: Licenciado, 8.5
• Sri Lanka: 4 year Professional degree, 90%
• Sudan: 4 year degree, 1st, 70%
• Sweden: Kandidatexamen, Overall grade of VG
• Switzerland: Bachelor Degree, 10
• Syria: State universities, 80%
• Taiwan: Category 1, 80%
• Tajikistan: Диплом специалиста, 5
• Tanzania: Bachelor (Hons) degree, 1st
• Thailand: GPA 4.0 scale, 3.5
• Trinidad and Tobago: For degrees studied at The University of West Indies, 1st, GPA 3.6
• Tunisia: Licence, 16
• Turkey: Lisans Diplomasi, 3.5
• Turkmenistan: 4 Yr Bakalavr, 5
• Uganda: Bachelor degree, 1st, 4.4
• Ukraine: Dyplom Magistra, 4.5
• United Arab Emirates: GPA 4.0 scale, 3.5
• United States of America: GPA 4.0 scale, 3.5
• Uruguay: Licenciado, 9
• Uzbekistan: Majistr Diplomi, 90%
• Venezuela: Licenciado, 18/20
• Vietnam: 10-point scale, 8.0
• Zambia: Master's, A, 80%
• Zimbabwe: 3/4 year degree, 1st, 75%