Impact of Impression Management on Organizational Performance: A Review Analysis

Impression management (IM) refers to the strategic behaviors adopted by individuals and organizations to influence how others perceive them. In today’s organizations, IM plays a key role in success of the employee, leadership effectiveness, reputation of the organization, and, overall organizational performance. This review consolidates the main theoretical foundations, empirical findings along with the emerging trends related to IM in organizational contexts. Drawing on a multidisciplinary literature in organizational behavior, psychology, and management science, this review explores the impact of IM on the performance at the individual, team as well as organizational levels. Both positive and negative outcomes are examined, including increased trust, improved performance reviews, enhanced reputation, and risks such as unethical behavior, burnout, and performance skewed indicators. The review encompasses a qualitative research methodology that involves a systematic, peer-reviewed analysis of the scientific literature. The results highlight that impression management (IM) contributes significantly to organizational outcomes. Future research directions and their implications for managers are also discussed. Keywords: Impression management, strategies, organizational performance, tactics, organizational behavior