Catching up or putting them down? An investigation of employee divergent reactions to coworker conscientiousness

Research on conscientiousness has primarily focused on the consequences of employees possessing higher conscientiousness. However, it is equally important to understand how employees react to others' higher conscientiousness (e.g., coworkers). Drawing from the social comparison theory, we attempt to reveal employees' emotional and behavioral reactions to their coworkers' higher conscientiousness. Using 210 employee-coworker dyadic data collected from China, we found that coworkers' higher conscientiousness leads focal employees to experience either relative deprivation or inspiration, which is shaped by the extent of the focal employees' zero-sum mindset. Furthermore, we found that these relative deprivation and inspiration emotions motivate focal employees to engage in social undermining and help-seeking behavior toward their conscientious coworkers. These findings enhance the understanding of the specific reactions of employees to others' higher conscientiousness.