Understanding Workplace Envy Through Narrative Fiction

Abstract

In this article, we explore the social construction of workplace envy through an analysis of its portrayal in a fictional narrative. Based on our examination of three excerpts from Richard Russo's novel Straight Man, we argue that envy is socially constructed in prominent and revealing episodes within broader organizational narratives. We further show that envy both serves as a catalytic emotion that engenders action and sensemaking, and at the same time, acts as a mechanism that reproduces the moral and cultural order within which it occurs.

From Rationality to Emotionally Embedded Relations: Envy as a Signal of Power in Stakeholder Relations

“…It is thus not surprising that envy remains an unexamined issue in the field of stakeholder relationships and in the small-business context, in particular. Patient et al (2003) concluded that feelings of envy are often viewed as negative and disgraceful. Positive emotions are perhaps more easily accepted as the foci of research.…”

“…From a non-malicious perspective, benign envy indicates the possibility that envy can motivate people to excel by raising themselves instead of bringing others down (Tai et al 2012). Benign envy can work as an incentive for activity that aims to improve one's status and performance (Duffy et al, 2008;Patient et al, 2003;Tai et al 2012). Envy can thus serve as a catalytic emotion that engenders action and sensemaking.…”

“…In fact, it has been suggested that envy cannot be studied in isolation from the moral order in the local context. A moral order is essential for the concept of envy to emerge in a discursive repertoire in certain contexts (Harre, 1986;Patient et al, 2003). In this sense, envy works as a conservative phenomenon and encourages conformity to norms (Clanton, 2007).…”

“…Although emotions are a crucial element of 3 proximate relationships, these emotions are not necessarily positive and might include non-virtuous emotions, such as envy (see Ben-Ze'ev, 1992). Although studies have argued that envy greatly affects management decision-making and behavior (Goel and Thakor, 2005;Mavin, 2006), workplace behavior (Bies et al, 1997;Patient et al, 2003;Duffy et al, 2012;Tai et al, 2012;Vecchio, 1995Vecchio, , 1997 and even the fundamental theory of the firm (Nickerson and Zenger, 2008), a careful study of envy has not been undertaken in the management literature (see Mishra, 2009;Tai et al, 2012).…”

The Impact of Organizational Envy on Organizational Climate Created among Employees: An Application in Accommodation Enterprises

“…The third one is social constructivism approach which is used in order to reveal envy in an organizational setting. The only study based on this approach was made by Patient, Lawrence and Maitlis (2003). These researchers attempted to analyze envy in work environment through discourse analysis method by using three passages from Richard Russo's novel "Straight Man" which was published in 1997.…”