The Underappreciation of Feeling Appreciated: Identifying and Measuring a Critical Bridge Construct

Abstract

Feeling appreciated is an important part of both individuals' social self-perceptions and relational interchange. It undergirds a number of foundational organizational constructs; and yet, as a unique management construct, feeling appreciated is essentially unrecognized and wholly underdeveloped. Over six interrelated chapters my dissertation develops a foundation for conceptualizing, measuring and researching feeling appreciated. I argue that feeling appreciated is associated with perceptions of one's own warmth and/or competence and thus serves as a strong common thread linking numerous foundational OB concepts and constructs. Results of three studies confirm that feeling appreciated is a critical factor driving both self-concerned and other-oriented organizational outcomes.