Abstract
We present and test a self-consistency theory framework for gossip: that perceived negative workplace gossip influences our self-perceptions and, in turn, this influences our behaviors. Using supervisor-subordinate dyadic time-lagged data (n = 403), we demonstrated that perceived negative workplace gossip adversely influenced target employees’ organization-based self-esteem, which, in turn, influenced their citizenship behavior directed at the organization and at its members. Moreover, by integrating victimization theory into our framework, we further demonstrated that negative affectivity, an individual’s dispositional tendency, not only moderated the self-consistency process but also predicted perceived negative workplace gossip. Our study therefore shifts attention to the target of negative workplace gossip and in doing so offers a promising new direction for future research. Implications to theory and practice are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1873-1898 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | Journal of Management |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 25 Apr 2016 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 May 2018 |
Bibliographical note
The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Journal of Management, 2018, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2018 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Journal of Management page: http://jom.sagepub.com/ on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/Keywords
- self-consistency theory
- perceived negative workplace gossip
- organizational citizenship behavior
- organization-based self-esteem
- negative affectivity