TY - JOUR

T1 - Perceptions of negative workplace gossip

T2 - a self-consistency theory framework

AU - Wu, Long-zeng

AU - Birtch, Thomas A.

AU - Chiang, Flora F. T.

AU - Zhang, Haina

N1 - 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/

PY - 2018/5/1

Y1 - 2018/5/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - self-consistency theory

KW - perceived negative workplace gossip

KW - organizational citizenship behavior

KW - organization-based self-esteem

KW - negative affectivity

U2 - 10.1177/0149206316632057

DO - 10.1177/0149206316632057

M3 - Journal article

VL - 44

SP - 1873

EP - 1898

JO - Journal of Management

JF - Journal of Management

SN - 0149-2063

IS - 5

ER -