The Curiositor’s Dilemma: Why Curious Employees are Perceived as Insubordinate and Unlikeable

Abstract

The popular business press has portrayed workplace curiosity – defined as the need to seek information, knowledge, or learning in the workplace – as the most valuable characteristic employees can possess. Most research examining workplace curiosity has found that it is positively related to desirable employee outcomes; however, little is known about the potential dark sides of this well-intentioned, yet, risky workplace act. Further, past research suggests that well-intentioned risky follower acts can lead to unintended negative leader perceptions. In this paper, then, we utilize implicit followership theories to develop a theoretical model predicting a negative relationship between follower curiosity and leader ratings of follower likeability that is mediated by leader perceptions of follower insubordination. Across three independent organizational samples consisting of data from leader-follower dyads collected at three time points, we find support for this prediction. To examine a potential boundary condition, we find uniform support that this mediation model is moderated by follower political skill, such that the indirect effect of follower curiosity on follower likeability via perceptions of follower insubordination is stronger for followers with lower (rather than higher) political skill. This suggests that curious followers who also have strong political skills are more likely to avoid being viewed as insubordinate and, in turn, disliked by their leaders. These findings highlight the slippery slope that curious followers must negotiate to avoid leaders’ negative perceptions associated with workplace curiosity (i.e., Curiositor’s dilemma). Implications and future research directions are discussed.