ORCID

0009-0004-7640-3567

Keywords

gratitude, emotions as social information, leadership, followership

Abstract

Gratitude is an important other-oriented, moral emotion known to promote individual well-being, strengthen social relationships, and foster positive workplace outcomes. Yet, organizational research has largely focused on gratitude as an individual trait or internal emotional state, with limited attention to its interpersonal signaling functions. Drawing on Emotion as Social Information (EASI) theory, this dissertation conceptualizes gratitude expressions as social cues that shape how others feel, think, and behave in the workplace. Focusing on first-level supervisors, an underexamined yet critical role in organizations, and integrating insights from leadership and followership research, this work examines how the source of gratitude expressions (leader vs. follower) and the type of processing (affective vs. inferential) influence reactions to gratitude expressions at work. Specifically, this dissertation investigates how gratitude expressed by leaders and followers shape first-level supervisors’ affective reactions (felt gratitude) and inferential evaluations (organization-based self-esteem and leadership self-efficacy), which subsequently influence key workplace outcomes (prosocial behavior, organizational commitment, and leadership effectiveness). Across two multi-wave field studies and a vignette-based experiment, results demonstrate that gratitude expressions operate through both affective and inferential pathways, with the inferential pathway varying by source. Furthermore, these effects are contingent on boundary conditions explored in supplemental analyses. Together, these findings advance theory by positioning gratitude expressions as social information that shapes workplace experiences through both emotional and cognitive processes. More broadly, this dissertation clarifies how gratitude expressions function within organizational hierarchies and highlights the distinct informational value of gratitude.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Ehrhart, Mark

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Department of Psychology

Format

PDF

Document Type

Dissertation

Identifier

DP0053217

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