When competitive rewards create obsessions with bottom‐line outcomes: A social interdependence theory perspective of the mediating role of bottom‐line mentality

Abstract

SummaryWe rely on social interdependence theory to examine bottom‐line mentality (BLM) as a motivational state that explains the effects of competitive rewards on oppositional actions in the forms of decreases in interpersonal organizational citizenship behavior (OCBI) and increases in social undermining. In line with social interdependence theory, we also examine learning goal orientation as a motivational attribute that can weaken these effects, suggesting that in comparison to employees low on learning goal orientation, employees high on the attribute are less likely to respond to their BLMs (that result from competitive rewards) with dysfunctional behaviors, because these employees will pursue their bottom‐line outcomes with an innate motivation to learn. We tested our hypotheses with three studies: an experimental study, a multisource, field study from a U.S. corporation, and a diverse, multisource, time‐lagged field study. Results from the experimental study and first field study revealed that BLM mediated the negative relationship between competitive rewards and OCBI; the second field study replicated these findings and demonstrated support for our full moderated mediation model. We provide theoretical and empirical support for the notion that BLM can serve as a motivational state that explains the effects of competition on workplace behaviors and learning goal orientation influences these effects.