A double-edged sword of employee humility: understanding its influence on actors’ well-being

Abstract

Though previous research concerning general humility explored its’ impact on actors’ well-being, the findings were inconsistent and they scarcely investigated the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions. Based on ego-depletion theory and literature concerning self-efficacy, we propose an integrative model that investigates both the dark and bright sides of employee humility for actors simultaneously. Specifically, we suggest that employee humility is harmful to their well-being via increased ego-depletion while it may also benefit employees’ well-being by improving their self-efficacy. Based on internal identity asymmetry theory, we propose that perceived leader underestimation is a critical boundary condition influencing above relationships. We tested our hypothesized moderated-mediation model by using time-lagged and supervisor-subordinate matched data. Results partly supported our hypothesized relationships that ego-depletion and self-efficacy mediate the relationship between employee humility and employee well-being (i.e., personal growth, job satisfaction, and sleep deprivation). In addition, although perceived leader underestimation failed to moderate the positive influence of employee humility on ego-depletion, but played a moderating role in the relationship between employee humility and self-efficacy. Theoretical and practical implications that employee humility has both positive and negative influence on actors’ wellbeing are also discussed.