A self-motive perspective on employees' mixed reactions to workplace imitation

Purpose Drawing on the self-motive theory, we propose a theoretical framework suggesting that employees who are imitated, referred to as demonstrators, experience mixed feelings and actively respond to imitation. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 200 employees through a scenario experiment and 153 employees through a two-wave survey. Findings Demonstrators view imitation as both a validation of their social impact and a threat to their status, and subsequently engage in knowledge sharing and hiding behaviors. Furthermore, the indirect effect of workplace imitation on knowledge hiding via status threat is mitigated when outcome interdependence is high. Practical implications Managers should promote high levels of outcome interdependence, creating an environment where employees are more likely to view imitation as a mutually beneficial strategy. Originality/value This study enhances our understanding of workplace dynamics by exploring the effects of imitation from the demonstrator's perspective.