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Reactions to Territorial Infringement

Author

Listed:
  • Graham Brown

    (Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University, Singapore 178899; and Faculty of Management, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia V1V 1V7, Canada)

  • Sandra L. Robinson

    (Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z2, Canada)

Abstract

Territoriality represents a new area of research in organizations. In this study, we empirically examined how territorial infringement leads to anger and reactionary defenses. Using a cognitive appraisal theory of anger, we posited that a perceived infringement evokes anger that, in turn, fuels reactionary defenses. We tested our hypotheses by using data collected in an open-ended survey of 125 employees. They provided us with critical incidents of perceived infringement at work, which we then coded into quantitative measures. We found that employees are territorial over a wide variety of things at work, and they react in many ways when they perceive infringement of these territories. We discuss these findings and suggest several directions for future research in this emerging area.

Suggested Citation

  • Graham Brown & Sandra L. Robinson, 2011. "Reactions to Territorial Infringement," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 210-224, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:22:y:2011:i:1:p:210-224
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.1090.0507
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Matthew W. McCarter & Shirli Kopelman & Thomas A. Turk & Candace E. Ybarra, 2012. "Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth: How the tragedy of the anticommons emerges in organizations," Working Papers 12-14, Chapman University, Economic Science Institute.
    2. Schulze, Arndt & Dada, Olufunmilola (Lola), 2025. "The effect of corporate venturing on knowledge acquisition and performance in small and medium-sized firms in Germany," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    3. Steven M. Gray & Andrew P. Knight & Markus Baer, 2020. "On the Emergence of Collective Psychological Ownership in New Creative Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(1), pages 141-164, January.
    4. Tracy L. Dumas & Katherine W. Phillips & Nancy P. Rothbard, 2013. "Getting Closer at the Company Party: Integration Experiences, Racial Dissimilarity, and Workplace Relationships," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(5), pages 1377-1401, October.
    5. William Graham & William Cooper, 2013. "Taking Credit," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(2), pages 403-425, June.
    6. Kromah, Momo D. & Ayoko, Oluremi B. & Ashkanasy, Neal M., 2024. "Commitment to organizational change: The role of territoriality and change-related self-efficacy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
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    8. Dmitry Khanin & Raj V. Mahto, 2013. "Do Venture Capitalists Have a Continuation Bias?," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 22(2), pages 203-222, September.
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    11. Stea, Diego & Foss, Nicolai J. & Christensen, Peter Holdt, 2015. "Physical separation in the workplace: Separation cues, separation awareness, and employee motivation," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 462-471.
    12. Baer, Markus & Brown, Graham, 2012. "Blind in one eye: How psychological ownership of ideas affects the types of suggestions people adopt," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 118(1), pages 60-71.
    13. Ayoko, Oluremi B. & Ashkanasy, Neal M. & Li, Yiqiong & Dorris, Alana & Jehn, Karen A., 2023. "An experience sampling study of employees’ reactions to noise in the open-plan office," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PB).
    14. Kirk, Colleen P. & McSherry, Bernard & Swain, Scott D., 2015. "Investing the self: The effect of nonconscious goals on investor psychological ownership and word-of-mouth intentions," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 186-194.
    15. Kim, Hyunsu & Li, Jing & So, Kevin Kam Fung, 2024. "Psychological ownership research in business: A bibliometric overview and future research directions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).

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