IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/vrs/jmbace/v25y2017i4p28-54n2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impressions of Competency: Tactics and a Conceptual Model

Author

Listed:
  • Haber Julita

    (Gabelli School of Business, Hughes Hall Room 412, Fordham University, New York, USA)

  • Brouer Robyn

    (Canisius College, 2001 Main Street Buffaki, New York, USA)

Abstract

Purpose: The study introduces a research stream of impressions of competency (IC) within the impression management field. The need for more understanding and research on IC within the field stems from the rising levels of information processing and competency expectations at work. This shift towards knowledge-intensive processes within organizations creates an environment in which the need to be perceived as competent has become even more relevant. As a result, employees may rely on IC tactics, if the expectation is that they appear as knowledgeable, skilled, and intelligent (i.e., competent). Methodology: The paper first includes a new typology of IC tactics that comprises impression management strategies used by individuals specifically to attain an enhanced image of competence in the workplace. Second, it provides a conceptual model and offers propositions with regards to the antecedents, effectiveness, and outcomes of IC tactics for consideration in future research. Conclusions: The research suggests that higher social norms of displaying competency in the workplace will contribute to higher IC tactic use especially by individuals keen on self-monitoring. Furthermore, politically skilled individuals are more effective with IC tactics, which results in more desirable evaluations of performance. Research limitations: This is a theoretical and conceptual study. It formulates propositions for further empirical research studies. Originality: This paper introduces IC within the impression management field by identifying IC tactics and developing a conceptual model for the examination of their effectiveness in the workplace.

Suggested Citation

  • Haber Julita & Brouer Robyn, 2017. "Impressions of Competency: Tactics and a Conceptual Model," Journal of Management and Business Administration. Central Europe, Sciendo, vol. 25(4), pages 28-54, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:jmbace:v:25:y:2017:i:4:p:28-54:n:2
    DOI: 10.7206/jmba.ce.2450-7814.206
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.7206/jmba.ce.2450-7814.206
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.7206/jmba.ce.2450-7814.206?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Manski, Charles F. & Neri, Claudia, 2013. "First- and second-order subjective expectations in strategic decision-making: Experimental evidence," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 232-254.
    2. Bozeman, Dennis P. & Kacmar, K. Michele, 1997. "A Cybernetic Model of Impression Management Processes in Organizations," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 9-30, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lee, Gilsoo & Cho, Sam Yul & Arthurs, Jonathan & Lee, Eun Kyung, 2020. "Celebrity CEO, identity threat, and impression management: Impact of celebrity status on corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 69-84.
    2. Tuvana Cüre & Emel Esen & Arzu Özsözgün Çalışkan, 2020. "Impression Management in Graphical Representation of Economic, Social, and Environmental Issues: An Empirical Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, January.
    3. Aerts, Walter, 2005. "Picking up the pieces: impression management in the retrospective attributional framing of accounting outcomes," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 493-517, August.
    4. Li, Yi-Na & Li, Yan & Chen, Haipeng (Allan) & Wei, Jiuchang, 2023. "How verbal and non-verbal cues in a CEO apology for a corporate crisis affect a firm’s social disapproval," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    5. Gee, Laura K. & Schreck, Michael J., 2018. "Do beliefs about peers matter for donation matching? Experiments in the field and laboratory," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 282-297.
    6. Bose, Subir & Daripa, Arup, 2023. "Eliciting second-order beliefs," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    7. Irenaeus Wolff & Dominik Bauer, 2018. "Elusive Beliefs: Why Uncertainty Leads to Stochastic Choice and Errors," TWI Research Paper Series 111, Thurgauer Wirtschaftsinstitut, Universität Konstanz.
    8. Kris Byron & Blaine Landis, 2020. "Relational Misperceptions in the Workplace: New Frontiers and Challenges," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(1), pages 223-242, January.
    9. Charness, Gary & Gneezy, Uri & Rasocha, Vlastimil, 2021. "Experimental methods: Eliciting beliefs," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 234-256.
    10. Polonio, Luca & Coricelli, Giorgio, 2019. "Testing the level of consistency between choices and beliefs in games using eye-tracking," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 566-586.
    11. Claudia Neri, 2015. "Eliciting beliefs in continuous-choice games: a double auction experiment," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 18(4), pages 569-608, December.
    12. Irenaeus Wolff & Dominik Folli, 2024. "Why Is Belief-Action Consistency so Low? The Role of Belief Uncertainty," TWI Research Paper Series 130, Thurgauer Wirtschaftsinstitut, Universität Konstanz.
    13. Pollack, Jeffrey M. & Bosse, Douglas A., 2014. "When do investors forgive entrepreneurs for lying?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 741-754.
    14. Tobias Regner, 2018. "What's behind image? towards a better understanding of image-driven behavior," Jena Economics Research Papers 2018-020, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    15. Dunne, Neil J. & Brennan, Niamh M. & Kirwan, Collette E., 2021. "Impression management and Big Four auditors: Scrutiny at a public inquiry," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    16. Yei-Yi Chen & WenChang Fang, 2008. "The Moderating Effect of Impression Management on the Organizational Politics–Performance Relationship," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 79(3), pages 263-277, May.
    17. Dominik Bauer & Irenaeus Wolff, 2018. "Biases in Beliefs: Experimental Evidence," TWI Research Paper Series 109, Thurgauer Wirtschaftsinstitut, Universität Konstanz.
    18. Sonenshein, Scott & Herzenstein, Michal & Dholakia, Utpal M., 2011. "How accounts shape lending decisions through fostering perceived trustworthiness," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 69-84, May.
    19. Lord, Robert G. & Brown, Douglas J. & Freiberg, Steven J., 1999. "Understanding the Dynamics of Leadership: The Role of Follower Self-Concepts in the Leader/Follower Relationship," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 78(3), pages 167-203, June.
    20. Lingling Pan & Gerry McNamara & Jennifer J. Lee & Jerayr (John) Haleblian & Cynthia E. Devers, 2018. "Give it to us straight (most of the time): Top managers’ use of concrete language and its effect on investor reactions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(8), pages 2204-2225, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:vrs:jmbace:v:25:y:2017:i:4:p:28-54:n:2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.sciendo.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.