Linking workplace loneliness to workplace territoriality: a self-protection perspective

Purpose Drawing upon the self-protection theory, the purpose of this study is to examine whether and how workplace loneliness leads to workplace territoriality. Design/methodology/approach Three-wave data from 243 employee–colleague dyads in China were collected to provide stronger empirical evidence supporting the hypotheses presented in this study. Path analysis and the bootstrapping method were used to test the predictions of this study. Findings The results of this study showed that employees’ workplace loneliness was positively related to their territorial behavior; employees' self-serving cognitions mediated the relationship between workplace loneliness and territorial behavior; and self-sacrificial leadership negatively moderated the relationship between workplace loneliness and self-serving cognitions and the indirect relationship between employee workplace loneliness and territorial behavior through self-serving cognitions. Practical implications The findings of this study suggest that organizations should pay attention to employees’ self-serving cognitions and cultivate self-sacrificial leadership to manage the territorial behavior derived from workplace loneliness. Originality/value This study highlights the positive effects of workplace loneliness on self-serving cognitions and subsequent workplace territoriality and shows that self-sacrificial leadership plays a buffering role in this process.