Exploring the Antecedents and Consequences of Managers’ Popularity-Seeking in the Workplace Using a Meta-Synthesis Approach”

Mojaddam, Kosar; Asgari, Parnia; Teimouri, Hadi

doi:10.22054/jmsd.2025.86582.4653

Exploring the Antecedents and Consequences of Managers’ Popularity-Seeking in the Workplace Using a Meta-Synthesis Approach”

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Kosar Mojaddam ¹

Parnia Asgari ¹

Hadi Teimouri ²

¹ Department of Management, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran

² Department of Management, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, University of Isfahan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/jmsd.2025.86582.4653

Abstract

In recent decades, within the competitive and complex landscape of modern organizations, managerial personality traits have been recognized as key factors in organizational success. One such trait, the desire for popularity, is considered a potentially detrimental managerial characteristic that may adversely affect decision-making and overall organizational effectiveness. The present study aims to identify the antecedents and consequences of managers’ popularity-seeking behavior in the workplace. Employing a systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis approach, and following the Sandelowski and Barroso method, this research analyzed findings from previous studies. Given the novelty of the subject, this work represents the first systematic investigation of its kind in Iran. Study selection was based on the PRISMA framework, through which 48 scholarly sources were identified, and 36 studies were ultimately included in the final analysis. Using a three-stage coding process, initial codes were extracted and then categorized using thematic analysis into three groups of antecedents and consequences: individual, organizational, and environmental. The reliability of the research model was assessed using intra-topic agreemen., and its validity was evaluated through the Sandelowski and Barroso method. The findings confirmed that both reliability and validity measures were satisfactory.

Keywords

Popularity

Popularity Seeking

Approval Seeking

People Pleaser

Subjects

Management of Organizational Development

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