Does Perceived Insincerity Influence Managerial Ratings of Performance and Promotability?

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the moderating effect of the supervisor's perceived insincerity of their subordinate's influence attempts on the relationship between supervisor perceptions of supervisor-subordinate similarity, liking, and influence, and the outcomes of performance and promotability. Data on 203 subordinates from 59 managers of a state agency were used to test the study hypotheses. The results indicate that the relationships between promotability and similarity and liking, and between performance and liking were attenuated by supervisor perceptions that the subordinates were insincere in their influence attempts. Implications for the importance of sincerity in interactions with others and directions for future research are offered.