Malicious envy in the worplace and intangible capital: an interpretation from the perspective of management

In the last few years the topic of envy has been addressed in an increasing number of studies from different theoretical perspectives. However this subject has received a relatively scant attention in management studies, notwithstanding the fact that envy is quite widespread within organizational contexts. In an attempt to bridge this gap, this paper aims to address the theme of envy in the workplace from a management perspective. The hypothesis at the heart of this contribution is the following: under some circumstances workplace envy represents a critical issue to business organizations, in that it may affect the development and the value-creation potential of a company’s human capital and relational capital. This hypothesis will be dealt with through a qualitative research approach: firstly, a review of the literature on envy, from an interdisciplinary perspective, is presented; then the topic of envy in the workplace will be analyzed and its organizational effects outlined; finally some useful tools for the management of envy in the workplace will be proposed.