Extending the boundaries of psychological ownership research: measurement, outcomes, cultural moderators

PurposePsychological ownership (PO) theory and extended self theory explain why someone feels like the owner of his/her job or organization. Yet, there is limited prior research examining whether PO differs as an individual versus collective phenomenon, and in different cultural contexts. The authors extend this literature by examining the dimensionality of PO, multiple outcomes and cultural values as boundary conditions.Design/methodology/approachData from surveys of 331 supervisors from Mexico and the US were collected to examine the relationships between the theorized constructs. The authors apply two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression analysis to alleviate endogeneity concerns and produce robust results.FindingsBoth individual and collective PO (IPO and CPO) are positively associated with organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and a new outcome, paternalistic leadership behavior. Cultural values are significant moderators with an individualistic orientation enhancing and a power distance orientation attenuating these relationships.Originality/valueThis study extends PO theory and extended self theory by investigating whether IPO and CPO have different outcomes considering contextual differences in cultural values. Additionally, the authors capture the frequency of paternalism instead of its mere occurrence.

THE EFFECT OF MANAGER ATTITUDE AND TEAM ATTITUDE ON EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT TO CHANGE: THE MODERATING ROLES OF POWER DISTANCE ORIENTATION AND GENDER COMPOSITION

Employee commitment to change is critical to the success of organisational change. This study draws upon social learning theory and examines the influence of both manager and team attitude toward change on employee commitment to change, with gender composition and power distance orientation as moderators. The sample comprised 291 employees and 38 managers from five Taiwanese companies that implemented knowledge management related technologies. The results showed that team attitude had a positive association with commitment to change. Power distance orientation negatively moderated the relationship between manager attitude and commitment to change, and it positively moderated the relationship between team attitude and commitment to change. There was also a three-way interaction among power distance orientation, gender composition, team attitude, and commitment to change.

When Are the Bigger Fish in the Small Pond Better Citizens? A Multilevel Examination of Relative Overqualification in Workgroups

In this study, we extend overqualification research to employees' social context of workgroup membership. Drawing upon social comparison theory and integrating with social exchange theory, we contend that employees' relative overqualification (ROQ, defined as individual overqualification relative to other group members' overqualification perceptions) is associated with their relative standing with their leader (measured as LMXSC, leader–member exchange social comparison), which in turn relates to employees' organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). Furthermore, we assert that workgroup structural attributes and individual values (leader span of control and power distance orientation) influence the ROQ–LMXSC–OCB relationship. Multilevel modeling using data from 243 employees nested in 36 workgroups suggested patterns of moderated mediation where leader span of control and employee power distance orientation moderate the indirect link between ROQ and OCB through LMXSC. That is, the indirect relationship between ROQ and OCB is stronger in workgroups with a narrow leader span of control and for employees high in power distance orientation. Implications and directions for meso- and group-level research are discussed.

Followership practices as determinants of national innovativeness: a study across 56 cultures

PurposeThere is a dearth of literature on what are the factors in terms of leaders’ and followers’ characteristics that impact innovation at the country level. The purpose of this paper is to build theoretical argument and provide empirical evidence of these factors using a cross-cultural mode of study across 56 nations.Design/methodology/approachThe Bayesian modelling technique is used on data from the GLOBE survey.FindingsInnovation at the individual, team and organisational levels has generally been associated with the relationship-motivated leadership, as opposed to task-motivated leadership. This study confirms that this premise holds at the societal level of analysis as well. The second finding is that in terms of followers’ cultural characteristics, out of three variables (power distance, collectivism and performance orientation) tested, only power distance orientation is found to have a predictive relationship with aggregate innovation. The moderator slope analysis unveils a nuanced understanding of how the interaction between leadership styles and followers’ cultural traits impact national innovativeness.Research limitations/implicationsCulture and leadership configurations that bolster innovation need to be studied more thoroughly.Practical implicationsThis study has implications for multi-country teams involved in research and development activities.Originality/valueTo our knowledge, this is the first study to unpack leader−follower relationships as predictors of national innovation. A leadership-culture fit perspective is advanced.

Benevolent paternalistic leadership behavior and follower's radical creativity

The present study investigates the follower's voice behavior (FVB) as a mediator and follower power distance orientation (FPDO) as a moderator in relationship with Benevolent Paternalistic Leadership Behavior (BPLB) and followers' radical creativity (FRC) with an Asian context based on the social exchange and social learning theory. The study is quantitative and deductive, which surveyed 272 manufacturing industry leaders-followers used to collect the data. Findings show that BPLB with higher follower’s voice behavior directly or indirectly enhances the FRC. When the leader-follower collaborative exchange or interactions are high/low, followers' responsibility and accountability are also high/low, which determines follower’s radical creativity. In contrast, the leader-follower relationship is obfuscated and blinded when the leader's subordinates' cooperative voice engagement or involvement is low congruously. Manufacturing industries should engage in leadership training that can promote creativity and innovation. Although considering the limitation and the study provides the theoretical, managerial, and practical implication for the managers, policymakers, governmental authority, and society

When does benevolent leadership inhibit silence? The joint moderating roles of perceived employee agreement and cultural value orientations

PurposeThis study's purpose is to examine benevolent leadership's effect on employee silence, as moderated by perceived employee agreement on leader behaviors and cultural value orientations.Design/methodology/approachTwo-wave survey data were collected from 240 Chinese employees working in various industries. Hierarchical regression and simple slope analysis were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsBenevolent leadership was negatively related to employee silence. When perceived employee agreement on leader behaviors was high, employees with high power-distance orientation or low vertical individualism were more sensitive to benevolent leadership and engaged in less silence.Practical implicationsManagers are advised to exhibit benevolent behaviors to mitigate employees' tendency to remain silence. Organizations and managers can also design interventions to encourage employees with low power distance or high vertical individualism to speak up.Originality/valueThis study advances the understanding of the relationship between benevolent leadership and employee silence. By highlighting the moderating role of employees' perception of leader behaviors and their cultural value orientations, this study helps explain the conditions that when employees choose to keep silence or not.