Date

8-20-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Rachel Piferi

Keywords

quiet ego, psychological empowerment, virtual work, remote work, knowledge work, organizational behavior, psychological contract

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

This study is an explanatory sequential mixed methods study designed to examine whether a high quiet ego orientation predicts high psychological empowerment in knowledge workers functioning as part of a team in a virtual workspace. The quantitative phase used simple linear regressions to test the hypotheses, followed by a qualitative phase consisting of unstructured interviews and a phenomenological approach to data analysis. Quantitative findings were not significant. Although quiet ego orientation did not predict psychological empowerment or any of its subscales (meaning, competence, self-determination, impact), qualitative findings indicate that individuals with high quiet ego scores consistently demonstrated intentional, prosocial workplace behaviors characterized by empathy, transparency, trust building, and support for others. The qualitative findings further suggest the extent to which these behaviors were accompanied by the perception of psychological empowerment depended less on quiet ego orientation and more on the relationships and organizational context in which they occurred. These findings extend understanding of quiet ego in virtual work environments by highlighting its potential role as an interpersonal orientation rather than a predictor of psychological empowerment, while emphasizing the importance of organizational conditions in fostering psychological empowerment and human flourishing among dispersed knowledge workers.

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