The Elicitation and Functionality of Contempt in the Workplace: A Values-Based Perspective

Abstract

In this study, we seek to extend knowledge of how contempt is elicited in the workplace, along with the functions it may serve in an organizational context. Specifically, we examine the following research questions: (1) How do values influence the elicitation of contempt at work? (2) What types of workplace behaviors are associated with feeling contempt? and (3) Does feeling contempt have [a] associative, [b] social-distancing, and [c] self-regulatory functions in the workplace? We employed a three-wave time-lagged online survey to 555 U.S. full-time workers. Results from a longitudinal SEM analysis suggest that workers feel more contempt for a coworker that fails to uphold their most prioritized value than for a coworker that regularly upholds their most prioritized value; however, perceptions of value incongruence did not mediate this relationship. Feeling contempt motivated workers to engage in uncivil behavior toward the coworker who was the target of contempt. Contempt was also associated with maintaining distance from the coworker, and appraising oneself as moral, supporting that contempt may serve social-distancing and associative functions at work. Contrary to prediction, contempt did not regulate future feelings of anger or disgust toward the coworker (self-regulatory function), but instead enhanced these emotions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.