From Bonding to Backlash: The Interplay of Social Comparison, Secrecy, and Jealousy in Organizational Politics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64534/mn1p7v39Keywords:
organizational politics, workplace friendship, social comparison, jealousy, secrecy, workplace friendships, political behavior.Abstract
This study discusses the possible effects of good professional relationships on emotional and behavioral behaviors, such as political activity, social comparison, and jealousy. The total number of participants across four research studies is 1,094, and a between-subjects experimental design has been used. The participants were randomly assigned to a setting in which either a close coworker or an acquaintance of these coworkers was either very successful, routinely appreciated, or received concrete rewards. The study compared non-destructive and destructive social comparison, as well as politically-oriented workplace intentions, with depression and tested for mediation and moderation using ANOVA and regression-based methods. An interesting result was that jealousy was even more intense when they saw extraordinary success among close work friends than when they saw ordinary success or material gain. This relationship was mediated by social comparison, with secrecy further intensifying it. Furthermore, feelings of jealousy were found to increase politically directed self-serving behavior within the workplace. The results generally show that stronger interpersonal relationships are associated with greater emotional and behavioral responses in a politically oriented workplace. Including emotions adds a fresh perspective to the study of organizational politics and shows how achievement and appreciation might, in organizational contexts, unintentionally compromise peer relationships, hence highlighting the necessity of openness and the just sharing of appreciation.
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