0
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Employee reactions to perceived ‘non-talent’ designation: a social comparison perspective

ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Received 05 Jun 2023, Accepted 22 Jul 2024, Published online: 30 Jul 2024

References

  • Bendersky, C., & Pai, J. (2018). Status dynamics. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 183–199. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104602
  • Björkman, I., Ehrnrooth, M., Mäkelä, K., Smale, A., & Sumelius, J. (2013). Talent or not? Employee reactions to talent identification. Human Resource Management, 52(2), 195–214. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21525
  • Bradley, G. W. (1978). Self-serving biases in the attribution process: A reexamination of the fact or fiction question. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36(1), 56–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.36.1.56
  • Boekhorst, J. A., Basir, N., & Malhotra, S. (2024). Star light, but why not so bright? A process model of how incumbents influence star newcomer performance. Academy of Management Review, 49(1), 56–79. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2020.0519
  • Boonbumroongsuk, B., & Rungruang, P. (2022). Employee perception of talent management practices and turnover intentions: A multiple mediator model. Employee Relations, 44(2), 461–476. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-04-2021-0163
  • Brunstein, J. C. (1993). Personal goals and subjective well-being: A longitudinal study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(5), 1061–1070. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.5.1061
  • Buunk, A. P., & Gibbons, F. X. (2007). Social comparison: The end of a theory and the emergence of a field. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 102(1), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.09.007
  • Call, M. L., Nyberg, A. J., & Thatcher, S. M. B. (2015). Stargazing: An integrative conceptual review, theoretical reconciliation, and extension for star employee research. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(3), 623–640. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039100
  • Campbell, E. M., Liao, H., Chuang, A., Zhou, J., & Dong, Y. (2017). Hot shots and cool reception? An expanded view of social consequences for high performers. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(5), 845–866. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000183
  • Campbell, W. K., & Sedikides, C. (1999). Self-threat magnifies the self-serving bias: A meta-analytic integration. Review of General Psychology, 3(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.3.1.23
  • Cialdini, R. B., Borden, R. J., Thorne, A., Walker, M. R., Freeman, S., & Sloan, L. R. (1976). Basking in reflected glory: Three (football) field studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34(3), 366–375. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.34.3.366
  • Church, A. H., Guidry, B. W., Dickey, J. A., & Scrivani, J. A. (2021). Is there potential in assessing for high potential? Evaluating the relationships between performance ratings, leadership assessment data, designated high-potential status and promotion outcomes in a global organization. The Leadership Quarterly, 32(5), 101516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101516
  • Collings, D. G., & Mellahi, K. (2009). Strategic talent management: A review and research agenda. Human Resource Management Review, 19(4), 304–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2009.04.001
  • Collins, R. L. (1996). For better or worse: The impact of upward social comparison on self-evaluations. Psychological Bulletin, 119(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.1.51
  • Colquitt, J. A., & Zipay, K. P. (2015). Justice, fairness, and employee reactions. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2(1), 75–99. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032414-111457
  • Correll, S. J., & Ridgeway, C. L. (2003). Expectation states theory. In J. Delamater (Ed.), Handbook of social psychology (pp. 29–51). Kluwer Academic Press.
  • Cropanzano, R., & Mitchell, M. S. (2005). Social exchange theory: An interdisciplinary review. Journal of Management, 31(6), 874–900. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206305279602
  • Daubner-Siva, D., Vinkenburg, C. J., & Jansen, P. G. W. (2017). Dovetailing talent management and diversity management: The exclusion-inclusion paradox. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 4(4), 315–331. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-02-2017-0019
  • Daubner-Siva, D., Ybema, S., Vinkenburg, C. J., & Beech, N. (2018). The talent paradox: Talent management as a mixed blessing. Journal of Organizational Ethnography, 7(1), 74–86. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOE-01-2017-0002
  • De Boeck, G., Meyers, M. C., & Dries, N. (2018). Employee reactions to talent management: Assumptions versus evidence. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(2), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2254
  • DeNisi, A. S., & Murphy, K. R. (2017). Performance appraisal and performance management: 100 years of progress? The Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 421–433. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000085
  • Dries, N., & Kaše, R. (2023). Do employees find inclusive talent management fairer? It depends. Contrasting self-interest and principle. Human Resource Management Journal, 33(3), 702–727. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12501
  • Dries, N., & Pepermans, R. (2012). How to identify leadership potential: Development and testing of a consensus model. Human Resource Management, 51(3), 361–385. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21473
  • Duffy, M. K., Scott, K. L., Shaw, J. D., Tepper, B. J., & Aquino, K. (2012). A social context model of envy and social undermining. Academy of Management Journal, 55(3), 643–666. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.0804
  • Duffy, M. K., Lee, K., & Adair, E. A. (2021). Workplace envy. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 8(1), 19–44. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012420-055746
  • Ehrnrooth, M., Björkman, I., Mäkelä, K., Smale, A., Sumelius, J., & Taimitarha, S. (2018). Talent responses to talent status awareness: Not a question of simple reciprocation. Human Resource Management Journal, 28(3), 443–461. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12190
  • Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202
  • Finkelstein, L., Costanza, D., & Goodwin, G. (2018). Do your high potentials have potential? The impact of individual differences and designation on leader success. Personnel Psychology, 71(1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12225
  • Gallardo-Gallardo, E., Dries, N., & González-Cruz, T. F. (2013). What is the meaning of ‘talent’ in the world of work? Human Resource Management Review, 23(4), 290–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2013.05.002
  • Gelens, J., Dries, N., Hofmans, J., & Pepermans, R. (2015). Affective commitment of employees designated as talent: Signalling perceived organisational support. European Journla of International Management, 9(1), 9–27. https://doi.org/10.1504/EJIM.2015.066669
  • Gelens, J., Dries, N., Hofmans, J., & Pepermans, R. (2013). The role of perceived organizational justice in shaping the outcomes of talent management: A research agenda. Human Resource Management Review, 23(4), 341–353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2013.05.005
  • Gelens, J., Hofmans, J., Dries, N., & Pepermans, R. (2014). Talent management and organisational justice: Employee reactions to high potential identification. Human Resource Management Journal, 24(2), 159–175. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12029
  • Gerber, J. P., Wheeler, L., & Suls, J. (2018). A social comparison theory meta-analysis 60+ years on. Psychological Bulletin, 144(2), 177–197. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000127
  • Greenberg, J., Ashton-James, C. E., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2007). Social comparison processes in organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 102(1), 22–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.09.006
  • Hamilton, O. S., & Lordan, G. (2022). Ability or luck: A systematic review of interpersonal attributions of success. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1035012. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1035012
  • Harmon-Jones, E., Harmon-Jones, C., & Price, T. F. (2013). What is approach motivation? Emotion Review, 5(3), 291–295. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073913477509
  • Hendricks, J. L., Call, M. L., & Campbell, E. M. (2023). High performer peer effects: A review, synthesis, and agenda for future research. Journal of Management, 49(6), 1997–2029. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063221138225
  • Hestermann, N., & Le Yaouanq, Y. (2021). Experimentation with self-serving attribution biases. American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 13(3), 198–237. https://doi.org/10.1257/mic.20180326
  • Jarzabkowski, P., Sillince, J. A., & Shaw, D. (2010). Strategic ambiguity as a rhetorical resource for enabling multiple interests. Human Relations, 63(2), 219–248. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726709337040
  • Jooss, S., Collings, D. G., McMackin, J., & Dickmann, M. (2024). A skills-matching perspective on talent management: Developing strategic agility. Human Resource Management, 63(1), 141–157. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22192
  • Jooss, S., McDonnell, A., & Burbach, R. (2021a). Talent designation in practice: An equation of high potential, performance and mobility. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32(21), 4551–4577. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2019.1686651
  • Jooss, S., Burbach, R., & Ruël, H. (2021b). Examining talent pools as a core talent management practice in multinational corporations. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32(11), 2321–2352. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2019.1579748
  • Judge, T. A., & Hurst, C. (2007). Capitalizing on one’s advantages: Role of core self-evaluations. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(5), 1212–1227. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.5.1212
  • Kaliannan, M., Darmalinggam, D., Dorasamy, M., & Abraham, M. (2023). Inclusive talent development as a key talent management approach: A systematic literature review. Human Resource Management Review, 33(1), 100926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2022.100926
  • Kamoche, K., & Leigh, F. S. (2022). Talent management, identity construction and the burden of elitism: The case of management trainees in Hong Kong. Human Relations, 75(5), 817–841. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726721996778
  • Kanabar, J., & Fletcher, L. (2022). When does being in a talent pool reap benefits? The moderating role of narcissism. Human Resource Development International, 25(4), 415–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2020.1840846
  • Kehoe, R. R., Call, M. L., & Bentley, F. S. (2022). Shining a light on star scholarship: Progress and prospects. In D. G. Collings, V. Vaiman, & H. Scullion (Eds.), Talent management: A decade of developments (pp. 85–106). Emerald.
  • Kehoe, R. R., Lepak, D. P., & Bentley, F. S. (2018). Let’s call a star a star: Task performance, external status, and exceptional contributors in organizations. Journal of Management, 44(5), 1848–1872. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316628644
  • Khoreva, V., Vaiman, V., & Van Zalk, M. (2017). Talent management practice effectiveness: Investigating employee perspective. Employee Relations, 39(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-01-2016-0005
  • Kim, E., & Glomb, T. M. (2014). Victimization of high performers: The roles of envy and work group identification. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(4), 619–634. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035789
  • King, K. A. (2016). The talent deal and journey: Understanding the employee response to talent identification over time. Employee Relations, 38(1), 94–111. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-07-2015-0155
  • Koch, M., & Marescaux, E. (2021). Talent management and workforce differentiation. In I. Tarique (Ed.), The Routledge companion to talent management (pp. 372–383). Routledge.
  • Krebs, B., & Wehner, M. (2021). The relationship between talent management and individual and organizational performance. In I. Tarique (Ed.), The Routledge companion to talent management., (pp. 539–555) Routledge.
  • Kirk, S. (2021). Sticks and stones: The naming of global talent. Work, Employment and Society, 35(2), 203–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017020922337
  • Lang, J. W. B., & Fries, S. (2006). A revised 10-item version of the achievement motives scale: Psychometric properties in German-speaking samples. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 22(3), 216–224. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759.22.3.216
  • Lang, P. J., & Bradley, M. M. (2008). Appetitive and defensive motivation is the substrate of emotion. In A. Elliott (Ed.), Handbook of approach and avoidance motivation (pp. 51–66). Psychology Press.
  • Lockwood, P., & Kunda, Z. (1997). Superstars and me: Predicting the impact of role models on the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(1), 91–103. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.73.1.91
  • Mäkelä, K., Björkman, I., & Ehrnrooth, M. (2010). How do MNCs establish their talent pools? Influences on individuals’ likelihood of being labeled as talent. Journal of World Business, 45(2), 134–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2009.09.020
  • Malik, A. R., & Singh, P. (2014). ‘High potential’ programs: Let’s hear it for ‘B’players. Human Resource Management Review, 24(4), 330–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2014.06.001
  • Marescaux, E., De Winne, S., & Brebels, L. (2021). Putting the pieces together: A review of HR differentiation literature and a multilevel model. Journal of Management, 47(6), 1564–1595. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206320987286
  • Marescaux, E., De Winne, S., & Rofcanin, Y. (2019). Co-worker reactions to i-deals through the lens of social comparison: The role of fairness and emotions. Human Relations, 74(3), 329–353. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267198841
  • McDonnell, A., Collings, D. G., Mellahi, K., & Schuler, R. S. (2017). Talent management: A systematic review and future prospects. European J. of International Management, 11(1), 86–128. https://doi.org/10.1504/EJIM.2017.081253
  • McDonnell, A., Skuza, A., Jooss, S., & Scullion, H. (2023). Tensions in talent identification: A multi-stakeholder perspective. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34(6), 1132–1156. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2021.1976245
  • Meyers, M. C. (2020). The neglected role of talent proactivity: Integrating proactive behavior into talent-management theorizing. Human Resource Management Review, 30(2), 100703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2019.100703
  • Meyers, M. C., van Woerkom, M., Paauwe, J., & Dries, N. (2020). HR managers’ talent philosophies: Prevalence and relationships with perceived talent management practices. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(4), 562–588. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2019.1579747
  • Meyers, M. C., & van Woerkom, M. (2014). The influence of underlying philosophies on talent management: Theory, implications for practice, and research agenda. Journal of World Business, 49(2), 192–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2013.11.003
  • Nijs, S., Dries, N., Van Vlasselaer, V., & Sels, L. (2022). Reframing talent identification as a status-organising process: Examining talent hierarchies through data mining. Human Resource Management Journal, 32(1), 169–193. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12401
  • Painter-Morland, M., Kirk, S., Deslandes, G., & Tansley, C. (2019). Talent management: The good, the bad, and the possible. European Management Review, 16(1), 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12171
  • Petriglieri, J. L. (2011). Under threat: Responses to and the consequences of threats to individuals’ identities. Academy of Management Review, 36(4), 641–662. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2009.0087
  • Petriglieri, J. L., & Petriglieri, G. (2017). The talent curse. Why high-potentials struggle and how they can grow through it. Harvard Business Review, 95(3), 89–94.
  • Pomaki, G., Karoly, P., & Maes, S. (2009). Linking goal progress to subjective well-being at work: The moderating role of goal-related self-efficacy and attainability. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 14(2), 206–218. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014605
  • Prestin, A. (2013). The pursuit of hopefulness: Operationalizing hope in entertainment media narratives. Media Psychology, 16(3), 318–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2013.773494
  • Reh, S., Van Quaquebeke, N., Tröster, C., & Giessner, S. R. (2022). When and why does status threat at work bring out the best and the worst in us? A temporal social comparison theory. Organizational Psychology Review, 12(3), 241–267. https://doi.org/10.1177/204138662211002
  • Rudolph, C. W., Harari, M. B., & Nieminen, L. R. (2015). The effect of performance trend on performance ratings occurs through observer attributions, but depends on performance variability. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45(10), 541–560. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12318
  • Scheff, T. J. (2018). Looking glass selves: The Cooley-Goffman conjecture. In N. Ruiz-Junco, & B. Brossard (Eds.), Updating Charles H. Cooley (pp. 111–125). Routledge.
  • Schmidt, J. A., Pohler, D., & Willness, C. R. (2018). Strategic HR system differentiation between jobs: The effects on firm performance and employee outcomes. Human Resource Management, 57(1), 65–81. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21836
  • Scholer, A. A., Cornwell, J. F., & Higgins, E. T. (2019). Should we approach approach and avoid avoidance? An inquiry from different levels. Psychological Inquiry, 30(3), 111–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2019.1643667
  • Shaw, K. (2009). Insider econometrics: A roadmap with stops along the way. Labour Economics, 16(6), 607–617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2009.09.001
  • Sonnenberg, M., van Zijderveld, V., & Brinks, M. (2014). The role of talent-perception incongruence in effective talent management. Journal of World Business, 49(2), 272–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2013.11.011
  • Silzer, R., & Church, A. H. (2009). The pearls and perils of identifying potential. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 2(4), 377–412. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2009.01163.x
  • Suls, J., & Wheeler, L. (2013). Handbook of social comparison: Theory and research. Springer.
  • Sumelius, J., Smale, A., & Yamao, S. (2020). Mixed signals: Employee reactions to talent status communication amidst strategic ambiguity. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(4), 511–538. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2018.1500388
  • Swailes, S. (2013). The ethics of talent management. Business Ethics: A European Review, 22(1), 32–46. https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12007
  • Swailes, S., & Blackburn, M. (2016). Employee reactions to talent pool membership. Employee Relations, 38(1), 112–128. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-02-2015-0030
  • Swailes, S. (2020). Responsible talent management: Towards guiding principles. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 7(2), 221–236. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-04-2020-0068
  • Tajfel, H., Billig, M. G., Bundy, R. P., & Flament, C. (1971). Social categorization and intergroup behaviour. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1(2), 149–178. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2420010202
  • Tansley, C., & Tietze, S. (2013). Rites of passage through talent management progression stages: An identity work perspective. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(9), 1799–1815. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2013.777542
  • Tesser, A. (1988). Toward a self-evaluation maintenance model of social behavior. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 21, 181–227.
  • Thrash, T. M., & Elliot, A. J. (2004). Inspiration: Core characteristics, component processes, antecedents, and function. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87(6), 957–973. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.87.6.957
  • Troth, A. C., & Guest, D. E. (2020). The case for psychology in human resource management research. Human Resource Management Journal, 30(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12237
  • Tyskbo, D. (2021). Competing institutional logics in talent management: Talent identification at the HQ and a subsidiary. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32(10), 2150–2184. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2019.1579248
  • Tyskbo, D., & Wikhamn, W. (2023). Talent designation as a mixed blessing: Short- and long-term employee reactions to talent status. Human Resource Management Journal, 33(3), 683–701. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12485
  • Vaiman, V., Scullion, H., & Collings, D. G. (2012). Talent management decision making. Management Decision, 50(5), 925–941. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741211227663
  • van Zelderen, A. P. A., Dries, N., & Marescaux, E. (2023). Talents under threat: The anticipation of being ostracized by non-talents drives talent turnover. Group & Organization Management. https://doi.org/10.1177/10596011231211639
  • van Zelderen, A. P. A., Dries, N., & Marescaux, E. (2024). The paradox of inclusion in elite workforce differentiation practices: Harnessing the genius effect. Journal of Management Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.13084
  • Vardi, S., & Collings, D. G. (2023). What’s in a name? Talent: A review and research agenda. Human Resource Management Journal, 33(3), 660–682. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12500
  • Watkins, T. (2021). Workplace interpersonal capitalization: Employee reactions to coworker positive event disclosures. Academy of Management Journal, 64(2), 537–561. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2018.1339
  • Wikhamn, W., Asplund, K., & Dries, N. (2020). Identification with management and the organisation as key mechanisms in explaining employee reactions to talent status. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(4), 956–976. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12335
  • Zesik, B. (2019). The rhetoric, politics and reality of talent management: Insider perspectives. In S. Swailes (Ed.), Managing talent: A critical appreciation (pp. 51–69). Emerald.
  • Zhou, J., Zhan, Y., Cheng, H., & Zhang, G. (2023). Challenge or threat? Exploring the dual effects of temporal social comparison on employee workplace coping behaviors. Current Psychology, 42(21), 18300–18316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02999-y