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Reputational Concerns and Advice-Seeking at Work

Author

Listed:
  • Lea Heursen

    (HU Berlin)

  • Svenja Friess

    (Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition/LMU Munich)

  • Marina Chugunova

    (Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition)

Abstract

We examine the impact of reputational concerns on seeking advice. While seeking can improve performance, it may affect how others perceive the seeker's competence. In an online experiment with white-collar professionals (N=2,521), we test how individuals navigate this tradeoff and if others' beliefs about competence change it. We manipulate visibility of the decision to seek and stereotypes about competence. Results show a sizable and inefficient decline in advice-seeking when visible to a manager. Higher-order beliefs about competence cannot mediate this inefficiency. We find no evidence that managers interpret advice-seeking negatively, documenting a misconception that may hinder knowledge flows in organizations.

Suggested Citation

  • Lea Heursen & Svenja Friess & Marina Chugunova, 2023. "Reputational Concerns and Advice-Seeking at Work," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 447, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    • Handle: RePEc:rco:dpaper:447
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    advice-seeking; reputational concerns; stereotypes; higher-order beliefs; knowledge flows; experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D16 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Collaborative Consumption
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • M51 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions

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