The joint effect of unfavorable supervisory feedback environments and external mentoring on job attitudes and job outcomes in the public accounting profession

Unfavorable supervisory feedback environments (SFEs) occur when supervisors provide unhelpful, inconsistent, and inconsiderate feedback. This study investigates whether external mentoring (i.e., mentoring support that is provided by a superior who is external to the supervisor-subordinate relationship) can moderate (i.e., attenuate) the adverse effects of unfavorable SFEs that occur in the accounting profession. Based on a survey of 421 public accounting professionals, the results indicate that unfavorable SFEs are associated with lower job satisfaction and role clarity, which, in turn, lead to lower organizational commitment and higher turnover intentions. More importantly, the results also show that external mentoring moderates (i.e., attenuates) the negative effects of unfavorable SFEs on both role clarity and job satisfaction. Implications for research and practice are discussed.