Coworker Narcissism: Employee Emotional and Behavioral Reactions as Moderated by Bottom-Line Mentality and Trait Competitiveness

Abstract

We advance research on narcissism in the workplace by examining the effects of coworker narcissistic rivalry on focal employee emotional states and behavioral intentions. We rely on social function of emotions theory to explain why coworker narcissistic rivalry results in focal employee negative emotions. We then explain that the focal employee is likely to handle their negative emotions arising from coworker narcissistic rivalry differently depending on individual differences of bottom-line mentality (BLM), which captures a defensive competitive posture, or trait competitiveness, which captures an offensive competitive posture. Across three studies, our results generally support our predictions by revealing that the indirect effect of coworker narcissistic rivalry onto focal employees’ social undermining of that coworker (through focal employee negative emotions) is more strongly positive when the focal employee is higher in BLM, whereas the indirect effect of coworker narcissistic rivalry onto focal-employee-intended work-goal progress relative to the coworker (through focal employee negative emotions) is more strongly positive when the focal employee's trait competitiveness is lower.