The Mixed Blessing of Dancing with Star Employees: A Social-Comparison-Based Analysis of the Effects of Star Employees on Non-Stars

Although star employees have been well documented as having a series of positive impacts in organizations, there is emerging evidence that they also negatively influence non-stars. Research using an integrative framework to explore the advantages and disadvantages of star employees is limited.Drawing on upward social comparison theory and the pain-driven dual envy framework, this research develops a model to examine when and how star employees differentially affect non-stars. Through a 2 × 2 between-subjects scenario-based experiment (Study 1) and a multi-wave field survey (Study 2), it finds that when non-stars possess a high level of expected future similarity to star employees, they tend to develop a feeling of benign envy that motivates them to exhibit role-modeling behavior. Contrariwise, when non-stars have a low level of expected future similarity, they are likely to feel malicious envy and then tend to engage in negative gossip about star employees. This research not only contributes to the star employee literature, but also provides practitioners with useful insights into human resource management practices.