IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/journl/hal-03330558.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Can impostors thrive at work? The impostor phenomenon's role in work and career outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Sarah Hudson

    (ESC [Rennes] - ESC Rennes School of Business)

  • Helena González-Gómez

    (NEOMA - Neoma Business School)

Abstract

This paper examines the effect the impostor phenomenon (IP) on short-term emotions (shame) and performance (creativity and organizational citizenship behavior- OCB) at work, and on career outcomes. Previous research shows direct detrimental effects of IP on some short-term performance measures, but effects on creativity and OCB remain under-researched, and no work has investigated any career effects. Through an experimental approach (Studies 1 and 3) and an online vignette (Study 2) using working populations, we find that IP is expressed as shame in response to simulated and recalled real work events. Shame mediates the negative effect of IP on creativity, and its positive effect on OCB, and mechanistic organizational structure exacerbates the negative shame-creativity relationship. Furthermore, Study 4 uses a survey design to reveal that IP relates negatively to external employability and career success. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, we suggest that IP and shame deplete resources such that impostors suffer reduced ability to perform well at work in the short-term, with negative consequences for career success.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Hudson & Helena González-Gómez, 2021. "Can impostors thrive at work? The impostor phenomenon's role in work and career outcomes," Post-Print hal-03330558, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03330558
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103601
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://rennes-sb.hal.science/hal-03330558
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://rennes-sb.hal.science/hal-03330558/document
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103601?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. Sacramento, Claudia A. & Fay, Doris & West, Michael A., 2013. "Workplace duties or opportunities? Challenge stressors, regulatory focus, and creativity," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 121(2), pages 141-157.
    2. Jean-Pierre Neveu & Stevan E. Hobfoll & Jonathon Halbesleben & M Westman, 2018. "Conservation of resources in the organizational context : the reality of resources and their consequences," Post-Print hal-02472360, HAL.
    3. Jeffrey G. Covin & Dennis P. Slevin, 1991. "A Conceptual Model of Entrepreneurship as Firm Behavior," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 16(1), pages 7-26, October.
    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. Lu, Jinfeng & Dimov, Dimo, 2023. "A system dynamics modelling of entrepreneurship and growth within firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 38(3).
    2. Hao Zhou & Xinyi Sheng & Yulin He & Xiaoye Qian, 2020. "Ethical Leadership as the Reliever of Frontline Service Employees’ Emotional Exhaustion: A Moderated Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-13, February.
    3. Heira Georgina Valdez-Bocanegra & Gonzalo Maldonado-Guzmán & Carmen Castrejón-Mata, 2020. "The Entrepreneurial Orientation and its Impact on Competitiveness and Growth: Empirical Evidence in the State of Aguascalientes in Mexico," Advances in Management and Applied Economics, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 10(3), pages 1-6.
    4. Francisco Javier Forcadell & Fernando Úbeda, 2022. "Individual entrepreneurial orientation and performance: the mediating role of international entrepreneurship," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 875-900, June.
    5. T. K. Das & Bing-Sheng Teng, 1998. "Time and Entrepreneurial Risk Behavior," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 22(2), pages 69-88, January.
    6. Diego Matricano & Mario Sorrentino, 2018. "Gender Equalities in Entrepreneurship: How Close, Or Far, Have We Come in Italy?," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(3), pages 1-75, February.
    7. Nguyen, Bach & Tran, Hai-Anh & Stephan, Ute & Van, Ha Nguyen & Anh, Pham Thi Hoang, 2024. "“I can't get it out of my mind” - Why, how, and when crisis rumination leads entrepreneurs to act and pivot during crises," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 39(4).
    8. Poduška, Zoran & Nedeljković, Jelena & Nonić, Dragan & Ratknić, Tatjana & Ratknić, Mihailo & Živojinović, Ivana, 2020. "Intrapreneurial climate as momentum for fostering employee innovativeness in public forest enterprises," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    9. Wendian Shi & Feng Wang & Xiujun Li, 2021. "Depletion Effect of Work-Leisure Conflict: A Daily Diary Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 297-317, November.
    10. Xie, Junyi & Ifie, Kemefasu & Gruber, Thorsten, 2022. "The dual threat of COVID-19 to health and job security – Exploring the role of mindfulness in sustaining frontline employee-related outcomes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 216-227.
    11. María Ripollés-Meliá & Martina Menguzzato-Boulard & Luz Sánchez-Peinado, 2007. "Entrepreneurial orientation and international commitment," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 65-83, December.
    12. Federico Contu & Daniela Di Santo & Conrad Baldner & Antonio Pierro, 2023. "Examining the Interaction between Perceived Cultural Tightness and Prevention Regulatory Focus on Life Satisfaction in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-10, January.
    13. UMRANI Waheed Ali & MAHMOOD Rosli & AHMED Umair, 2016. "Unveiling The Direct Effect Of Corporate Entrepreneurship’S Dimensions On The Business Performance: A Case Of Big Five Banks In Pakistan," Studies in Business and Economics, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 11(1), pages 181-195, April.
    14. Mohd Fadhli Mohd Fauzi & Hanizah Mohd Yusoff & Rosnawati Muhamad Robat & Nur Adibah Mat Saruan & Khairil Idham Ismail & Ahmad Firdaus Mohd Haris, 2020. "Doctors’ Mental Health in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Work Demands and Recovery Experiences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-16, October.
    15. Erik Lundmark & Anna Krzeminska & Dean A. Shepherd, 2019. "Images of Entrepreneurship: Exploring Root Metaphors and Expanding Upon Them," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(1), pages 138-170, January.
    16. Kalinic, Igor & Brouthers, Keith D., 2022. "Entrepreneurial orientation, export channel selection, and export performance of SMEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1).
    17. Muhammad Zubair Alam & Shazia Kousar & Muhammad Rizwan Ullah & Amber Pervaiz, 2022. "How creative destruction functions in corporate entrepreneurial process: an empirical investigation of Schumpeterian concept in engineering firm settings in Pakistan," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    18. Belén Casales Morici, 2022. "Strategic corporate entrepreneurship practices in financial services firms: the role of organizational factors," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(9), pages 1-26, September.
    19. Águeda Gil-López & Unai Arzubiaga & Elena San Román & Alfredo Massis, 2022. "The Visible Hand of corporate entrepreneurship in state-owned enterprises: a longitudinal study of the Spanish National Postal Operator," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 1033-1071, September.
    20. Miguel A. Hernandez, 2019. "Unveiling International New Ventures’ Success: Employee’s Entrepreneurial Behavior," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-32, 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:hal:journl:hal-03330558. 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: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    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.