Biting the hand that feeds you: Employees' reactions to their own gossip about highly (un)supportive supervisors

Abstract

This dissertation delves into the largely unexamined phenomena of workplace gossip. Drawing from deonance theory (Folger, 1998, 2001), I seek to explain the moral implications of gossip for the gossiper, specifically in terms of the moral emotions engagement in gossip elicits. I hypothesize the gossiper will experience shame and fear after gossiping about the supervisor. Furthermore, I examine the moderating role of the gossiper-gossipee relationship to assess the role interpersonal relationships play in relation to these emotional experiences. In an experience sample modeling field study, I find that gossip fails to elicit shame and fear, but it does elicit the less intense emotions of guilt and anxiety. However, the data fail to support the moderation and mediated moderation hypotheses.