How does receiving gossip from coworkers influence employees’ task performance and interpersonal deviance? The moderating roles of regulatory focus and the mediating role of vicarious learning

Abstract

Based on social learning theory and regulatory focus theory, we propose that receiving positive and negative gossip from coworkers increases individuals’ vicarious learning, which subsequently improves their adaptive behaviours in the workplace, namely, increasing task performance and decreasing interpersonal deviance. Furthermore, we propose that gossip receivers’ regulatory foci determine the extent to which receivers engage in vicarious learning and change their behaviours. Results from two studies testing a moderated mediation model (Study 1: N = 214; Study 2: N = 189) showed that negative and positive gossip were indirectly related to increased receivers’ task performance and decreased interpersonal deviance through vicarious learning. The indirect effect of negative gossip was stronger for receivers with a high prevention focus, and the indirect effect of positive gossip was stronger for receivers with a high promotion focus. This research documents the beneficial role of receiving gossip from coworkers and advances our understanding of its consequences in the workplace.Practitioner points Managers should recognize gossip as a potentially effective channel for disseminating information, providing a valuable learning tool for the receivers, which they use according to their learning needs, as shaped by their regulatory focus. Organizations could implement measures to share experiences and bolster employees’ vicarious learning through other means than gossip to mitigate potential negative effects of workplace gossip for the targets. Managers should support higher transparency and access to information to facilitate learning and improve organizational effectiveness.