Impostor phenomenon unveiled: Exploring its impact on well-being, performance, and satisfaction among employees

The Impostor Phenomenon (IP) is a widespread psychological phenomenon impacting the personal and professional experiences of individuals. This study aims to examine the impact of the IP on employee well-being, performance, and job satisfaction within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Lebanon. Moreover, this study explores if these effects vary depending on individuals' personality types, such as introverted or extroverted, and if perceived organizational support (POS) plays a moderating role in these relationships. The research employed a mono-method quantitative approach to collect data from a sample of 155 faculty and staff employees using an online structured survey. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software. The findings obtained indicate that higher impostorism levels were linked to lower employee well-being, job satisfaction, and self-assessed job performance. Introverts showed a negative association between impostorism and well-being, while extroverts had significant negative associations with both job satisfaction and performance. POS only moderately influenced the association between impostorism and job satisfaction. The significance of the IP's impacts on employee outcomes among different personality types is emphasized in this study. Furthermore, the moderating role played by POS highlighted the importance of organizational efforts in addressing employees' experiences. This study provided insights to Human Resources (HR) professionals in Lebanon's Higher Education Institutions to develop targeted interventions addressing IP experiences and personality types and promoting mental wellness and better job satisfaction and performance, and thus better organizational outcomes.