Introduction.
Workplace imposter thoughts have attracted increasing attention in organizational research. However, little is known about how such thoughts shape employees' positive and negative behaviors. The underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions also remain unclear.
Purpose.
Drawing on self-discrepancy theory, this study develops a dual-pathway model to examine whether workplace imposter thoughts influence employees' self-improvement and silence behaviors through the emotional mechanisms of shame and fear. It also explores whether these behaviors affect subsequent imposter thoughts and how supervisors' positive and negative feedback differentially moderate these processes.
Method.
We conducted a longitudinal study and collected 256 valid employee-coworker dyads across 4 time points. Hypotheses were tested using multilevel path analysis.
Results.
Findings revealed two distinct pathways. First, workplace imposter thoughts increased self-improvement behaviors via enhanced shame, with supervisor positive feedback amplifying this effect. Second, workplace imposter thoughts increased silence behaviors via increased fear, with supervisor negative feedback weakening this effect. Longitudinal analyses further showed that employees' self-improvement behaviors reduced their subsequent imposter thoughts, whereas silence behaviors reinforced them.
Conclusions.
This study highlights the complex dynamics of workplace imposter thoughts, demonstrating that they can produce divergent outcomes depending on underlying emotional processes and contextual factors. By identifying the dual roles of shame and fear, as well as the moderating influence of supervisor feedback, this research advances theoretical understanding of imposter thoughts and offers practical insights into how organizations can foster constructive rather than detrimental responses.