ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL: HOW FUNGIBILITY LEADS TO WORKERS' OBJECTIFICATION

We investigated whether organizational change and organizational power are antecedents of working self- and other-objectification by focusing on two facets: fungibility and instrumentality. In Study 1 (N = 118), office workers who had experienced an operational review, compared to no exposure, were found to have significantly higher perceptions of being objectified as instrumental by their organization. Further, less powerful employees had significantly higher perceptions of being objectified as fungible, that is, as interchangeable, versus managers and heads of departments. Workers' perception of being objectified as fungible, but not instrumental, predicted tendencies to self -objectify. Furthermore, this relationship was mediated by professional efficacy. In Study 2 (N = 160), we examined other-objectification. The results showed that instrumentality, rather than fungibility, primarily contributed to the objectification of a fictitious worker. These studies highlight the importance of taking a theoretical and methodological multidimensional approach to the study of workplace self-objectification and other-objectification.