“I talk, thereby I lead”: the interactive effect of small talk and role model on self-leadership of gig workers

Purpose The role of small talk has been significantly overlooked in the context of gig work, because it has often been portrayed as “meaningless” communication or treated as peripheral to task accomplishment in the literature on organizational communication. Challenging this, we integrate social comparison theory to explore how and why small talk among gig workers can have a meaningful impact on their self-leadership. Design/methodology/approach We extracted small talk texts from three privately established online chat groups in China and employed thematic analysis method to uncover the mechanisms through which small talk facilitates self-leadership. To further test our hypotheses, we recruited 200 delivery riders from the southeastern region of China and conducted a quantitative study using a two-wave research design. Findings Using thematic analysis method and OLS regression analysis, our results show that when gig workers engage in small talk with role models, they experience peer pressure, which in turn promotes their self-leadership. Originality/value First, we contribute to the literature on communication by transcending conventional understanding of small talk. Second, our research demonstrates why small talk among gig workers may serve as a meaningful contributor in shaping their self-leadership capabilities. Third, our research identifies the factors that facilitate self-leadership among gig workers, thereby contributing to the literature on self-leadership.