Bottom-line mentality: systematic literature review and future research directions

Purpose The purpose of current systematic literature review (SLR) is to propose 1) theoretical perspectives which may be adopted in future research to explain the antecedents and outcomes of bottom-line mentality (BLM); 2) social environmental factors which may be responsible for provoking employees’ BLM and 3) buffering variables which can curtail the negative outcomes of BLM. Design/methodology/approach We searched Google Scholar and Scopus database and looked for keywords “bottomline mentality” OR “BLM” OR “bottom line mentality” in the title, abstract and keywords. This study systematically reviewed 87 articles that have empirically examined BLM phenomenon. Findings Certain theoretical perspectives (i.e. social information processing theory, social exchange and social-cognitive theories) have been overly utilized to explain the phenomenon of BLM. Second, we identified the person, supervisor and organization-related antecedents leading to the development of BLM. Third, we found that BLM was positively related to certain employee behaviors (i.e. knowledge hiding, unethical behavior, social undermining) and negatively related to other behaviors (i.e. helping behavior and innovative work behaviors). Originality/value The current review is the first to propose buffering variables which may likely curtail the negative effects of BLM.