Seeking approval: adopting impression management tactics upon experiencing workplace ostracism

Xinyan Mu, Jih-Yu Mao and Mengying Liao

Nankai Business Review International, 2022, vol. 13, issue 3, 457-471

Abstract: Purpose - Being ignored or excluded is a painful experience. Belongingness theory suggests that individuals inherently desire for belongingness and social interactions. This study aims to explore whether ostracized employees take actions to seek potential re-inclusion in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach - Data were collected from a two-wave survey. Ordinary least squares regressions were conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings - Workplace ostracism is positively associated with victims’ impression management behaviors (i.e. self-promotion and exemplification) through need for approval. In addition, these indirect relationships are more salient for victims with stronger self-face concerns. Originality/value - This study examines how ostracized employees strive for potential re-inclusion and who are more likely to seek approval. Specifically, this study identifies two impression management behaviors as victims’ potential re-inclusion tactics in response to ostracism in the workplace.

Keywords: Impression management; Workplace ostracism; Belongingness theory; Need for approval; Self-face concern (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:nbripp:nbri-07-2021-0048

DOI: 10.1108/NBRI-07-2021-0048

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