The mechanism of goal-setting participation’s impact on employees’ proactive behavior, moderated mediation role of power distance

Organizations nowadays are under immense external pressure due to advancements in information technology, making it precarious. It also inserts extra pressure to keep the employees motivated and productive. Therefore, while information technology benefits the organization, it also challenges the organization and employees more. In order to meet these challenges, many organizations have begun to flatten their organizational structures and decentralized their management approaches. This study collected 336 valid questionnaires from 20 service companies. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were tested. In addition, the exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Relevant analysis and empirical analysis were also carried out using hierarchical regression. The study finds that (1) Goal-setting participation positively affects employees’ proactive behavior. (2) Perceived insider status plays a mediating role between goal-setting participation and employee proactive behavior. (3) The power distance positively modifies the goal-setting participation in the relationship of employee’s perceived insider status. (4) Power distance positively moderates perceived insider status in the relationship of goal-setting participation on employee proactive behavior through perceived insider status. This research applies goal-setting theory and social cognition theory to build a theoretical framework for the influence mechanism of goal-setting participation on employee’s proactive behavior. Expands the application scope of fundamental theoretical research and improve understanding of the relationship between goal-setting participation and employee’s proactive behavior. The research conclusions help organizations understand the formation mechanism of employees’ proactive behaviors, strengthen the focus on goal-setting participation, and optimize the relationship between leaders and employees.

The Trickle-Down Effect of Territorial Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model

The present research seeks to explore how and when leader territorial behavior trickles down to the follower. Relying on social information processing theory, we hypothesize that territorial behavior has a trickle-down effect from leader to follower, and perceived insider status mediates the relationship between leader territorial behavior and follower territorial behavior. Competition climate is supposed to strengthen the effect of leader territorial behavior on perceived insider status. Two hundred and fifty-two dyads data of supervisor–subordinate in Chinese enterprises provided support for our hypotheses. The results suggest that leader territorial behavior is positively related to follower territorial behavior and that follower perceived insider status significantly mediates the relationship. Moreover, competition climate strengthens the negative relationship between leader territorial behavior and perceived insider status as well as the indirect effect of leader territorial behavior on follower territorial behavior via perceived insider status. Theoretical and practical implications are further discussed.

Leader Narcissism and Employee Organizational Citizenship Behavior Directed Toward the Leader: Roles of Perceived Insider Status and Need for Self-Esteem

Based on self-concept theory, the present study proposed and empirically tested the impact of leader narcissism on employee organizational citizenship behavior directed toward the leader (OCB-L), highlighting the mediating role of perceived insider status and the moderating role of need for self-esteem in this relationship. Based on an analysis of 161 two-stage matched leader-employee dyads, the hypotheses were tested and the results showed that the leader narcissism had a negative direct effect on employee OCB-L, as well as a negative indirect effect on employee OCB-L via perceived insider status. Furthermore, the need for self-esteem was found to moderate the negative effect of leader narcissism on perceived insider status as well as the mediating effect of perceived insider status between leader narcissism and employee OCB-L. The theoretical and practical implications of our research were discussed. Limitations and directions for future research were also offered.

How Does Organizational Compassion Motivate Employee Innovative Behavior: A Cross-Level Mediation Model

This study aims to explore the mediating mechanisms between organizational compassion and employee innovative behavior by introducing perceived insider status and felt responsibility for constructive change (FRCC) as mediating variables. Drawing on cognitive-affective personality system theory, a cross-level mediation model was established. Data were collected via the online-based questionnaire from 420 employees of 12 enterprises in China. Multilevel path modeling was leveraged to examine hypotheses proposed in this study. The results indicate that FRCC mediates the relationship between organizational compassion and employee innovative behavior. Moreover, perceived insider status and FRCC serially mediate the relationship between organizational compassion and employee innovative behavior. This study has significant theoretical and practical implications as it is the first study to investigate the value of organizational compassion to employee innovative behavior at the workplace.

Perceived HRM practices and organizational citizenship behaviours: a case study of a Chinese high-tech organization

PurposeThe purpose of this case study is to test a moderated mediation model linking employees' perceived HRM practices to organizational citizenship behaviours (OCB) with perceived insider status as the mediator and emotional exhaustion as the moderator in a Chinese high-tech organization.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 417 Chinese employees were recruited from a large Chinese high-tech company to participate in a paper-and-pencil survey, and mediation and moderation were analysed using PROCESS macro for SPSS.FindingsPerceived insider status partially mediates the relationship between perceived HRM practices and OCB, and emotional exhaustion moderates the relationship between perceived insider status and OCB such that the strength of the relationship is stronger in employees with low emotional exhaustion levels than in employees with high emotional exhaustion levels.Practical implicationsThere is a need for organizations to promote the physical and psychological well-being of its employees in order to maximize the effectiveness of HRM practices.Originality/valueThis case study provides novel insights into how employees' perceived HRM practices elicit OCB and its boundary conditions in collectivistic cultures.

Employee-Oriented CSR and Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior: The Role of Perceived Insider Status and Ethical Climate Rules

Although existing research generally has found that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a positive impact on organizations and individuals, researchers should still be alert to the potential risks it may bring. This study will explore why employee-oriented corporate social responsibility (employee-oriented CSR) triggers unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). Based on the social identity theory, this study establishes a moderated mediation model to explore the impact mechanism of employee-oriented CSR on UPB. We collected survey data from 298 employees of manufacturing organizations to test our research model. The regression statistics results indicate that employee-oriented CSR can indirectly (via perceived insider status (PIS)) affect employees’ UPB. Moreover, ethical climate rules negatively moderate the relationship between PIS and UPB, and negatively moderate the indirect effect of employee-oriented CSR on UPB. This study promotes a full understanding of the impact of CSR, expands the micro-foundation of CSR, and extends the research on the antecedents of employees’ UPB by revealing the social-psychological mechanism of employee-oriented CSR impact UPB, and also gives specific suggestions to put into practice.

When and how authoritarian leadership influences employee innovation behavior in the context of Chinese culture

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the mechanism and boundary conditions of authoritarian leadership that influence employee innovation behavior (EIB) in Chinese culture based on the leader–member exchange theory and state–trait theory.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used Mplus and SPSS to test the proposed model with data from 286 leader–employee dyads in Chinese companies. In this study, questionnaires were collected through commission and field investigation.FindingsThe results indicate that authoritarian leadership can positively influence perceived insider status and EIB within a certain range in Chinese organizational culture, although this is counterintuitive. In addition, perceived insider status has a high level of explanatory power on EIB and can mediate the relationship between authoritarian leadership and EIB. Furthermore, proactive personality can moderate the positive influence of authoritarian leadership on perceived insider status.Originality/valueInnovation management is inseparable from the specific organizational cultural context. This paper argues that the relationship between authoritarian leadership and EIB in the context of organizational culture in China may differ from that in the west. This study constructs a unique research model and offers new insights into when and how EIB can be influenced by authoritarian leadership.

The effect of differential leadership on employees’ thriving at work in China: a moderated mediating model

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the mediating role of perceived insider status (PIS) on the relationship between differential leadership and thriving at work, and the extent to which this mediating role is moderated by proactive personality. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts a questionnaire with 332 employees from China, taking certain traditional cultural factors and social exchange theory into consideration. This paper then analyzes the responses using a structuring equation model with SPSS 24.0 and LISREL 8.7. Findings The results show that PIS mediated the relationship between differential leadership and thriving at work. In addition, proactive personality was found to moderate this mediating pathway, whereby a high proactive personality increased the mediating role of perceived insider status. Originality/value This study explores how and why differential leadership is positively related to thriving at work. This paper verifies the moderated mediation model relationship among the research variables and contributes to the literature on differential leadership.