Employee Mind Mapping of Organizational Flattery
Keywords:
Employee mind mapping, Organizational flattery, Cognitive consensus mapping, ZMET, Occupational self-esteem, Organizational trust, Human resource productivityAbstract
The present study aimed to design and conceptualize a consensus cognitive map of employees’ perceptions of organizational flattery in a large mining company using the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET). This developmental study adopted an exploratory qualitative approach. The research context was a large mining company, and twelve knowledgeable participants (6 women and 6 men) were selected through purposive conceptual sampling. Data were collected via in-depth, image-based interviews structured around the ten-step ZMET protocol. Participants were instructed to reflect on the phenomenon of flattery for one week prior to the interview and to select images representing their perceptions. Interviews lasted between 90 and 150 minutes. Following transcription and qualitative analysis, 46 initial constructs were identified. Based on consensus criteria (constructs mentioned by at least one-third of participants and relationships confirmed by at least one-quarter), a final consensus cognitive map was developed. Nine core constructs remained in the final consensus map, categorized as causal structures (incompetence, autocratic management, favoritism, low self-esteem), mediating structures (illegitimate exaggeration, double-loss cycle), and consequential structures (elimination of specialists, reduced trust, decreased productivity). The inferential analysis revealed that incompetence and favoritism, mediated by illegitimate exaggeration and the double-loss cycle, lead to the marginalization of qualified professionals, ultimately resulting in lower organizational productivity and diminished trust. Furthermore, low self-esteem and autocratic leadership were identified as reinforcing contextual drivers of flattery behaviors. From employees’ cognitive perspectives, organizational flattery is not merely an individual behavioral tactic but a structurally embedded and culturally reinforced mechanism that originates from personal and managerial deficiencies and ultimately erodes human capital, organizational trust, and productivity.
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