THE MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION AND IMPRESSIONS - WHEN EMPLOYEES BEHAVE OPPORTUNISTICALLY

Researchers in the area of organizational politics or impression management have been interested not only in determining the effectiveness of political behaviors, but also in identifying the conditions under which employees will behave opportunistically. In the present study, the effects of two situational characteristics (accountability and ambiguity) and one personal characteristic (self-monitoring) on the management of information and impressions were investigated. Results demonstrated that when accountability was high and ambiguity was low, there was greater use of defensive information and more emphasis on positive aspects of the decision than in any other condition. Also, high self-monitors were more likely to engage in information manipulation, and the effects were more pronounced under conditions of high accountability. Implications of these results for theory, research, and practice are discussed. © 1990.