High Performers at Work: Threatened or Admired? Unlocking the Role of Work Climate

This study investigates the hidden dynamics of work climates that shape how performance influences social support at work. Drawing on the data from public and private sector organizations in Pakistan, the findings suggest the double-edged nature of work climates. More specifically the results suggest that in environment with high work avoidance, high performers face envy, eroding peer support, while leaders’ dependency on high performers in similar environment paradoxically strengthens leaders’ support. Conversely, in climates that embrace work approach, peer admiration enhances peer support, but high performers may at the same time trigger perception of threatened hierarchy, reducing leaders’ support. Furthermore, leaders support was found to have a stronger relationship with job performance than satisfaction, whereas peer support was found to have a stronger relationship with job satisfaction than performance. These striking results reveal how work climates can either amplify or diminish the ripple effects of individual performance, offering a fresh perspective for organizations seeking to cultivate collaboration and trust in a competitive landscape.