How employees react to unsolicited and solicited advice in the workplace: implications for using advice, learning, and performance

Published in: Journal of Applied Psychology - January 2021

Written by

Blaine Landis, Colin Fisher and Jochen Menges

Summary

What we found: Employees think that co-workers who give them unsolicited advice are self-serving and flaunting their knowledge, but that co-workers who give them solicited advice are being prosocial and want to help them. Unsolicited advice is seen as less useful than solicited advice.

Why it matters: While sharing advice in organizations has been shown to be beneficial, how the advice is shared plays a critical role in whether people listen to the advice.

What next: Giving unsolicited advice is tricky and may not lead to any benefits in organizations. Leaders might encourage employees to ask for advice to enable organizations to reap its benefits.