Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1922-0188
Date Available
8-8-2026
Year of Publication
2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
College
Business and Economics
Department/School/Program
Management
First Advisor
Dr. Huiwen Lian
Second Advisor
Dr. Daniel J. Brass
Abstract
While research on close relationships suggests that individuals can benefit from capitalization or sharing positive events, it is unclear whether similar benefits hold for coworker capitalization or sharing work-related positive events with coworkers. Given that coworkers typically possess less intimate knowledge of one another compared to those in close relationships, it is plausible that they may interpret each other’s actions in diverse ways. Thus, I introduce attribution theory as a novel framework for understanding the effects of coworker capitalization. I suggest that when a coworker shares a positive event, recipients may attribute one of three motives to the discloser: a motive for self-promotion, for enhancing others’ performance, or for expressing positive emotions. These attributed motives can help explain why coworker capitalization may or may not lead to beneficial outcomes for the discloser: Recipients may engage in constructive, citizenship or social undermining behaviors toward the discloser, subsequent to their attributed motives of positive affect expression, other-performance promotion, or self-promotion, respectively. Furthermore, according to attribution theory, recipients’ existing perceptions of the discloser’s narcissism may influence how they attribute different motives to their coworker’s capitalization attempts. My proposed model received substantial support from a vignette experiment and a quasi-experimental experience sampling study, offering both theoretical insights and practical implications.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2024.269
Recommended Citation
Du, Chenduo, "WHY DO MY COWORKERS SHARE THEIR WORK-RELATED GOOD NEWS WITH ME? COWORKER CAPITALIZATION, MOTIVE ATTRIBUTION, AND IMPLICATIONS" (2024). Theses and Dissertations--Management. 17.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/management_etds/17
