A diary study of the impression management strategies utilised by industrial and organisational psychology interns

Abstract

Orientation: When interns enter a new workplace, they are compelled to create and maintain a good impression through a range of image-enhancing behaviours. Impression management strategies can help interns to do this.Research purpose: This study aimed to understand the strategies used by industrial and organisational (I/O) psychology interns, their goals for using them and the targets of these strategies.Motivation for the study: Interns are generally new to the workplace and, as such, may not be aware of how to play the ‘social game’ to create positive impressions about themselves, be perceived in a positive light, gain projects to fulfil their internship requirements, and, where possible, gain full-time employment from the organisation.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative design was used. Data were collected from 14 I/O psychology interns in the form of diary entries and semi-structured interviews.Main findings: The thematic analysis revealed eight key impression management strategies, some existing and others novel: ingratiation, self-promotion, rendering favours, exemplification, professionalism, openness to learning, conformity and building strategic relationships.Practical/managerial implications: Industrial and organisational psychologists should develop workshops to assist interns in using impression management skills to create a positive internship experience and advance in their respective organisations.Contribution/value-add: The study adds theoretically (the study of impression management is relatively new in South Africa), practically (findings may help direct future I/O psychology interns to the correct strategies for creating a positive impression at work) and methodologically (diary studies are not common in qualitative organisational research).

Are self-sacrificing employees liked by their supervisor?

“…Furthermore, it would be interesting to address the emotional consequences of the use of exemplification tactics on co-workers. In this sense, it has been noted that self-sacrifice behaviors tactics “may make others around them feel inadequate and guilty” (McGowan & Sekaja, 2022 , p. 7). Moreover, recent studies have found that some IM tactics (i.e., self-promotion and ingratiation) moderate the influence of person-organization fit on perceived workplace inclusion (Chen & Tang, 2022 ).…”

Unlocking the power of micro-credentials in commerce degrees: A practical example

“…Such a survival-centred mode becomes crucial, especially given some noted challenges experienced by interns in the world of work (McHugh 2017). In addition, interns usually do not have the necessary social capital and networks to be able to survive within the world of work (McGowan & Sekaja 2022). In essence, their survival within the world of work could be linked to seeking such social capital and networks.…”

Impression Management and Employee Contextual Performance in Service Organizations (Enterprises)

“…Other empirical investigations concentrated on the effect, impact, and influence of impression management on other criterion variables other than employee contextual performance [28,29]. Again, just recently, McGowan & Sekaja [30] and Delport et al [31] examined the effect of impression management tactics on other variables that are different from employee contextual performance. This has created a lacuna in impression management research.…”

“…Kandpal & Chaubey [29] investigated the impression management tactics used by staff in selected higher institutions located in Uttarakhand, India, and found that most senior staff employ selfpromotion and, ingratiation to impress their counterparts in the organizations. McGowan & Sekaja [30] identified the impression management strategies used by organizational psychology interns in South African firms and, found that they employ ingratiation, exemplification, self-promotion, rendering favours, professionalism, conformity, openness to learning, and strategic relationship building. Delport et al [31] explored the impression management tactics of Afrikaans coloured managers in South Africa and discovered that coloured Afrikaans managers used different impression management tactics to influence their subordinates.…”