Thinking of you thinking of me: An integrative review of meta-perception in the workplace

Abstract

Decades of research demonstrate a fundamental human tendency to care about how one is seen by others, and for good reason; the perceptions and appraisals of others affect a wealth of important outcomes in our lives. In the workplace, for example, these outcomes include dismissals, bonuses, and promotions. In this review, we integrate a diverse body of research surrounding human “beliefs about how we are seen by others” and define these beliefs as meta-perceptions. We derive an overarching framework to highlight what we do and do not know about meta-perceptions in the workplace by disentangling their content, structural composition, and effects. Our review highlights that meta-perceptions can have important implications for employees' affect, cognition, and behavior, yet there is a lack of research exploring meta-perceptions in work settings and an inconsistency in how they are conceptualized and explored. Finally, we suggest several pathways for future research into the role of meta-perception in the workplace.