This paper provides insights into employee decision making when there is a conflict between doing what is best for the firm (firm orientation) and doing what is best for one s interpersonal relationship with an external stakeholder representative (relational orientation). We apply construal level theory (Liberman and Trope, 1998; Trope and Liberman, 2003) to propose a framework that explains the effects of psychological distance dimensions on an employee's choice to act either in the best interests of their interpersonal relationships (what they want to do), or their firm (what they should do)
