Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/282138 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
Discussion Paper No. 447
Publisher: 
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München und Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Collaborative Research Center Transregio 190 - Rationality and Competition, München und Berlin
Abstract: 
We examine the impact of reputational concerns on seeking advice. While seeking can improve performance, it may affect how others perceive the seeker's competence. In an online experiment with white-collar professionals (N=2,521), we test how individuals navigate this tradeoff and if others' beliefs about competence change it. We manipulate visibility of the decision to seek and stereotypes about competence. Results show a sizable and inefficient decline in advice-seeking when visible to a manager. Higher-order beliefs about competence cannot mediate this inefficiency. We find no evidence that managers interpret advice-seeking negatively, documenting a misconception that may hinder knowledge flows in organizations.
Subjects: 
advice-seeking
reputational concerns
stereotypes
higher-order beliefs
knowledge flows
experiment
JEL: 
D16
D21
D83
D91
M51
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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