Study: narcissists favor public rewards and titles over higher pay
Surveys of over 1,000 employees found people higher in narcissism prefer public recognition and better titles, while most workers favor private rewards.
The story in focus
A Cornell-led study of more than 1,000 full-time employees found that people higher in narcissism prefer public workplace rewards and would take a better title over higher pay, while most employees preferred private rewards like raises or quiet praise.
- Researchers ran four online surveys of full-time employees totaling more than 1,000 respondents.
- Narcissists were more motivated by public rewards and more likely to choose a better title over higher pay.
- Overall, employees preferred private rewards to public ones, which the authors called somewhat surprising.
What the study found
The paper, published Oct. 8 in Social Psychological and Personality Science, drew on four online surveys of full-time employees with more than 1,000 respondents overall. Participants rated their own narcissism, then described how motivated they were by public versus private rewards and whether they preferred a public title increase or a private salary increase.
Across the surveys, employees generally preferred private rewards, such as a salary increase or a positive review kept between worker and manager. People scoring higher in narcissism also valued those private rewards but were much more drawn to public ones.
Status and envy
The researchers traced the preference to status. Narcissists were found to care more about status and worry less about envy from colleagues, seeing a public reward as a status boost. Non-narcissists were more likely to weigh how public recognition might affect relationships with peers.
First author Emily Zitek, an associate professor of organizational behavior at Cornell's ILR School, said the findings could help managers tailor rewards to individual employees and suggested that emphasizing public rewards might draw more narcissists to an organization.
Title inflation questioned
The study also examined title inflation, in which companies give new titles without changing duties or pay. Zitek warned that the practice may not help employees as much as employers assume and could undermine credibility. Co-authors include Verena Krause of the UCL School of Management and Alexander H. Jordan of Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital.
Did the study test actual reward programs in real workplaces?
No. The findings come from four online surveys in which employees self-reported their narcissism and reward preferences. The study reports associations, not tested changes to workplace reward systems.
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