How humility influences status: Perceived competence and the evaluator’s self-construal as moderators

Using expectation states theory of status, this study proposed a theoretical framework exploring the relationship between a target’s humility and their status attainment. The model incorporated the perception of the target’s competence and the evaluator’s self-construal as critical boundary conditions. Results of an experiment (N = 198) revealed that the target’s humility positively influenced their status attainment. Additionally, this impact was stronger when the evaluator perceived the target to be of higher competence. Furthermore, when the evaluator had an interdependent (vs. independent) self-construal and greater perceived competence of the target, they allocated the target a higher status. These findings emphasize the roles of the target’s humility and competence as well as the evaluator’s self-construal in the complex process of status attainment, offering theoretical and practical implications for managing employees’ work behavior in organizations.