This study investigated the mediating effects of defensive silence and emotional exhaustion between ostracism and interpersonal
deviance, explained through transactional theory of stress and coping. Time-lagged and multi-source data was collected at two
measurement points from 320 employees, working in service sector organizations of Pakistan. Employees appraise ostracism as
an uncontrollable interpersonal stressor that threatens their relational and efficacy needs. They try to deal with this threat through
an avoidant coping approach and resort to interpersonal deviance, via a cognitive path and an emotional route, namely defensive
silence and emotional exhaustion. Our results show that workplace ostracism, defensive silence, and emotional exhaustion
contribute to the prevalence of interpersonal deviance, and offer several direct as well as indirect options. One path involves
actions that discourage ostracism through various human resource functions. Another step pertains to defensive silence which
could be put off by a suggestion system that offers psychological safety to employees. The last measure relates to emotional
exhaustion, prevented by emotional mentoring and employee assistance plans. The present study explains the underlying
cognitive and emotional mechanisms between ostracism and interpersonal deviance. It extends research on defensive silence
to demonstrate its theoretical as well as empirical effect on interpersonal deviance. It further explains how employees use
interpersonal deviance, to reduce the negative effect of ostracism. Lastly, it describes ostracism and deviance in the context of
collectivist culture of Pakistan, which underscores close interpersonal relationships.

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• How Workplace Ostracism Influences Interpersonal Deviance: The Mediating Role of Defensive Silence and Emotional Exhaustion