A Social Context Model of Envy and Social Undermining
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Academy of Management Journal 2012, Vol. 55, No. 3, 643–666. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.0804 A SOCIAL CONTEXT MODEL OF ENVY AND SOCIAL UNDERMINING MICHELLE K. DUFFY University of Minnesota KRISTIN L. SCOTT Clemson University JASON D. SHAW University of Minnesota BENNETT J. TEPPER Georgia State University KARL AQUINO University of British Columbia We integrate moral disengagement, social identification, and social norms theories to develop, test, and replicate a model that explains how and when envy is associated with social undermining. In Study 1, a two-wave study of hospital employees, results support the prediction that the mediated effect of envy on social undermining behavior through moral disengagement is stronger when employees have low social identifica- tion with coworkers. Study 2, a four-wave, multilevel study of student teams, shows that the indirect effect of envy on social undermining through moral disengagement is stronger in teams with low team identification and high team undermining norms. Employees have numerous opportunities to ob- (Vidaillet, 2006) and is an unpleasant, painful state serve and contemplate how the benefits and advan- (Lieberman & Eisenberger, 2009). Consequently, in- tages they enjoy at work compare with those of dividuals should be highly motivated to reduce their colleagues. Whether these opportunities pres- feelings of envy. The psychological literature ent themselves formally (e.g., through performance shows that when they are unsuccessful at doing so, appraisals) or informally (e.g., through friendship and feelings of envy persist, envy can lead to a networks), common experience and empirical re- variety of deleterious outcomes, including search suggest that favorable social comparison in- schadenfreude, aggression, and even crime (see formation gives people pleasure, but unfavorable Smith and Kim [2007] for a review). Indeed, envy is information can focus their attention on what they often argued to be a “call to action” to engage in lack relative to their colleagues (Hogg, 2000). In the interpersonal harm doing, especially actions that latter case, feelings of envy—the emotion that sur- “reduce or, better yet, fully remove the envied per- faces when one lacks and desires others’ superior son’s advantage” (Smith & Kim, 2007: 53). If this qualities, achievements, or possessions (Parrott & argument is correct, then envy should be a reliable Smith, 1993)—may arise. predictor of social undermining, or behavior in- Envy of others at work (referred to here as tended to hinder the ability of others to establish “envy”) may have positive consequences if, for ex- and maintain positive interpersonal relationships, ample, it motivates a person to increase perfor- work-related successes, and favorable reputations mance or attempt self-improvement (Duffy, Shaw, (Duffy, Ganster, & Pagon, 2002). Social undermin- & Schaubroeck, 2008; Schaubroeck & Lam, 2004). ing behavior differs from other forms of antisocial But envy also has a dark side. Envy poses threatens behavior at the conceptual level because it com- the core of an individual’s professional identity prises only intentional behavior and behavior de- signed to weaken its target gradually or by degrees (Duffy, Ganster, Shaw, Johnson, & Pagon, 2006). Editor’s note: The manuscript for this article was ac- The study of envy and its work-related conse- cepted for publication during the term of AMJ’s former quences has been surprisingly neglected, even editor-in-chief, R. Duane Ireland. though work environments include a surfeit of po- 643 Copyright of the Academy of Management, all rights reserved. Contents may not be copied, emailed, posted to a listserv, or otherwise transmitted without the copyright holder’s express written permission. Users may print, download, or email articles for individual use only. 644 Academy of Management Journal June tential envy-inducing situations (Duffy et al., 2008). strongly motivated to do so. For example, to thrive Indeed, research linking envy to harmful behaviors in work contexts, individuals must develop social at work, such as undermining, is rather sparse, and capital, make high-quality connections with capa- the relationship has not been firmly established ble others, and maintain some positive standing in (e.g., Cohen-Charash, 2009; Cohen-Charash & Muel- the work environment (Dutton & Heaphy, 2003; ler, 2007; Dunn & Schweitzer, 2006). We aim to Exline & Zell, 2008). Responding to envy with un- advance the theoretical and empirical literature in dermining or other forms of aggression can place two ways. these objectives at risk. Consequently, we maintain First, the literature lacks a guiding theoretical that even when they have strong feelings of envy, perspective on the process through which envy organization members do not always respond with relates to social undermining. A basic assumption social undermining. The possibility that social and of our model is that envy is an undesirable state organizational forces are likely to inhibit causing that most employees want to avoid. We contend harm to others, even when the desire to do so is that one way employees can attempt to manage strong, may explain why some studies have shown envy is to thwart the success of their colleagues inconsistent relationships between measures of through social undermining, thereby reducing the workplace envy and antisocial behavior (Cohen- gap between the outcomes that might lead to dis- Charash, 2009). Indeed, it may be that a common advantageous social comparisons. We do not claim response to feeling envious of others is for an indi- that this is the only path envious employees can vidual to “suffer in silence,” resigned to accepting pursue in response to envy, but it is the one we that others have things that he or she desires but focus on here, because it requires employees to cannot have. overcome personal and social barriers to harming Thus, to address the question of when envy will others in workplace settings. actually result in social undermining, we introduce What theoretical mechanism explains why em- two features of social context: social identification ployees may choose to act on their envious feelings with one’s colleagues and undermining norms. In with social undermining behavior? We offer one the first of two studies, we tested whether social theoretical explanation by proposing that the link identification with colleagues can either facilitate between envy and social undermining is mediated or inhibit the emergence of moral disengagement by a disengagement of the self-regulatory mecha- cognitions, a first-stage moderation effect in our nisms that would otherwise constrain such behav- model. Prior research has focused largely on the ior. These cognitive maneuvers are referred to notion that social identification (e.g., closeness, broadly as “moral disengagement” (Bandura, 1986, similarity) and envy are positively related because 1991). We theorize that envy increases moral dis- identification creates “the expectation that the engagement and allows envious employees to over- other ought to experience similar outcomes” come the cognitive barriers, or self-sanctions, that (Schaubroeck & Lam, 2004: 34; see also Smith and most people abide by, breaking them “free of a Kim [2007] for a review). Here, we propose a novel, prevailing submissive frame of mind” (Smith & moderating role for social identification. Drawing Kim, 2007: 53). This part of our model allows us to on theories of moral exclusion (Opotow, 1990, answer the question of why envy might motivate 1995) and self-construal (Bandura, 1986), we argue social undermining. Thus, we extend current that enviers will morally disengage only when they thinking on envy by proposing moral disengage- feel less psychologically connected to others in ment as the mechanism through which envy leads their work environment (i.e., they experience low to harmful interpersonal behaviors. Our approach social identification). In contrast, high social iden- also extends previous theories of envy by suggest- tification makes it more difficult to convert envy ing that envy resulting from making multiple rather into cognitive rationalizations for harm-doing. than specific (or episodic) social comparisons can Thus, although prior research has focused on the influence the willingness to undermine coworkers role of social identification in generating envy, we who may or may not be the objects of envy. The investigate how social identification shapes re- reason is that envy motivates moral disengagement, sponses to envy by defusing the tendency to mor- which disables self-sanctions against harm doing. ally disengage. In our second study, we incorporate By advancing this argument, we are suggesting a theory concerning behavioral or etic norms to sug- potential spillover effect of envy that leads a person gest that once moral disengagement has occurred, to undermine others in general. an envious employee may nevertheless eschew so- Second, in organizational settings, often strong cial undermining. Following previous researchers social and institutional pressures inhibit employ- (e.g., Bamberger & Biron, 2007; Tepper, Henle, ees from undermining others, even if they are Lambert, Giacalone, & Duffy, 2008), we hypothe- 2012 Duffy, Scott, Shaw, Tepper, and Aquino 645 size that weak norms for undermining in the social uations, work and otherwise) and episodic envy (an context can serve as a second defusing mechanism emotional reaction to a specific event). In describ- that weakens