Abstract
Abstract : The desire to feel included is an essential need for all humans which extends into the context of the work environment. Employees who experience a lack of perceived inclusion at work, on the basis of their work identity and gender identity, may experience internal feelings of fraudulence, intellectual inadequacy or fear that they will not be able to maintain their success. This describes a psychological experience known as the imposter phenomenon. In this study, the mediating effect of work identity and gender identity on the relationship between perceived inclusion and the experience of the imposter phenomenon was examined. The moderating variable in this study was gender, through the use of male and female sample groups. A total sample size of 323 employees completed the measurement instruments used in this study, including: an adapted Perceived Inclusion Scale; the Tilburg Scale for Work Identity Commitment and Reconsideration of Commitment (TWIS-CRC); the Gender Identity Measure for the Experiences @ Work Project; and the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale (CIPS). The study was quantitative in nature and the results from the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) indicated that there were no significant differences in the measures across the male and female sample groups. The results from the Multi-Group Structural Equation Modelling (MG-SEM) indicated that work identity and gender identity provide full mediation on the relationship between perceived inclusion and the experience of the imposter phenomenon for male employees but not for female employees. For female employees, a weak yet negative statistically significant direct relationship was found between perceived inclusion and the experience of the imposter phenomenon. The results suggest that for male employees, their identity, specifically their work identity and gender identity, predict their feelings of intellectual inadequacy and unworthiness, whereas for female employees, their feelings of intellectual inadequacy and unworthiness is predicted by their perceptions of inclusion. Managers should support those employees who experience feelings related to the imposter phenomenon and should encourage them to stop their involvement in the imposter cycle.
M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)