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.
Highlights
Today’s business environment is a volatile one at best
Some works investigate the role of self-promotion in the projecting of images of competency (e.g., Jones and Pittman, 1982; Kacmar, Harris and Nagy, 2007), we argue that we should consider other well-known impression management tactics as the impressions of competency (IC) tactics
Impression management research has embraced behavioral and attitudinal strategies across various taxonomies (Bolino et al, 2016; Rosenfeld et al, 1995), but it has not systema tically focused on a singular outcome image such as competency or likability, contributing to a lack of classification of tactics which enhance the competency image
Summary
Today’s business environment is a volatile one at best. Companies face extreme competition and unforgiving economic circumstances. Scholars attributed the emergence of an overall new work pattern in the job market, shifting toward higher levels of competency, to the rise of the knowledge economy; defined as production and services based on know ledge-intensive activities that rely more on intellectual capabilities and information processing (Powell and Snellman, 2004). Within this economy, which treats knowledge as the key resource, knowledge-intensive organizations, such as Google, have grown increasingly common (Kozierkiewicz, 2016). Together, increasing competition and the knowledge economy have created a job market environment in which the need to display competency becomes ever more relevant
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