We examine the impact of group attractiveness on the relationship between workplace ostracism and organizational citizenship behaviours directed toward the group (OCBG). Research has long overlooked contextual features of ostracism at work. Using an experimental vignette methodology (N = 312), we found that physical attractiveness was critical in determining the mechanism by which ostracism influenced OCBG. The victims' social anxiety served as a mediator through which ostracism influenced OCBG when the ostracizing group was deemed to be low on attractiveness. However, the negative direct effect between ostracism and OCBG was observed only when group attractiveness was high. Our findings have implications for understanding the interplay between victims' individual differences and the context in which workplace ostracism is manifested.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.