Impression Management and Group Member Performance: Examining the Role of Collective Altruism

Abstract

There is debate in the literature regarding when impression management motivates affiliative behavior (i.e., helping others) and how well individuals perform organizational tasks when the driving motivation is to “look good.” Based on social exchange and sensemaking theories and research, and considering the increasing use of groups and teams in today’s workplaces, we propose that characteristics of the groups to which members belong enable them to make sense of, and interpret, their collective environment and subsequently determine how they should behave to look their best. Specifically, we identify collective altruism as an important group characteristic affecting how individuals’ positive (i.e., self-promotion, exemplification, ingratiation) and negative (i.e., supplication, intimidation) impression management tactics influence their willingness to help fellow group members. Findings from a sample of entrepreneurial networking groups illustrate that the relationship between positive impression management tactics and affiliative behavior was more strongly positive when collective altruism was higher, rather than lower; and, the relationship between negative impression management tactics and affiliative behavior was positive when collective altruism was higher, and not significant when it was lower. We discuss implications for both theory and practice.