THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MIDDLE POWER: VERTICAL CODE-SWITCHING, ROLE CONFLICT, AND BEHAVIORAL INHIBITION

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Anicich, Eric M.; Hirsh, Jacob B.
• 署名单位: University of Southern California; University of Toronto
• 刊物名称: ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0363-7425
• DOI: 10.5465/amr.2016.0002
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 659-682
• 关键词: CORE SELF-EVALUATIONS; WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT; social identity; ORGANIZATIONAL-BEHAVIOR; JOB-PERFORMANCE; ROLE AMBIGUITY; intergroup discrimination; subjective uncertainty; GROUP IDENTIFICATION; ABUSIVE SUPERVISION

摘要

Decades of research have demonstrated that having or lacking power can influence how people think and behave in organizations. By contrasting the experiences associated with high- and low-power states, however, this research has neglected the psychological and behavioral correlates of middle power, which is the subjective sense that one's power is neither consistently higher nor lower than the power of one's interaction partners. In this article we propose that middle-power positions and mindsets lead to frequent vertical code-switching-the act of alternating between behavioral patterns that are directed toward higher-power and lower-power interaction partners. We draw from identity and role transition theories to develop propositions specifying when frequent vertical code-switching will, in turn, result in heightened role conflict. We further situate our theoretical analysis by updating and extending the approach/inhibition theory of power on the basis of insights from revised reinforcement sensitivity theory to introduce an integrative framework called the approach/inhibition/avoidance theory of power. Overall, we highlight the promise of conceptualizing power in terms of the stability of one's vertical orientation, offering novel predictions about the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral effects of power.