The Effects of Person–Organization Fit and Turnover Intention on Employees’ Creative Behavior: The Mediating Role of Psychological Ownership

Ahmet Cengiz Ucar,Lutfihak Alpkan,Meral Elci

doi:10.1177/21582440211066924

Abstract

Some recent studies have examined the behavioral antecedents of employees’ creative behavior. However, the potential role of psychological ownership is rarely taken into consideration. This study specifically examines the mediating role of psychological ownership in the relationship between person–organization (P–O) fit and turnover intention on the one hand and employees’ creative behavior on the other via a survey in Turkish organizations. Findings based on the data from 969 employees in Istanbul and Western Anatolia indicate that P–O fit is positively related and turnover intention negatively related to both psychological ownership and creative behavior, and that psychological ownership plays a full mediating role in these relations. Psychological ownership has a central role in employees’ creative behavior; it should thus be augmented together with its antecedents if managers wish to foster creative behaviors among their employees.

Highlights

Employees’ creative behaviors have recently gained more importance—both in business and in academia—than in the last century
We suggest that psychological ownership can trigger affect-driven positive behaviors (Van Dyne & Pierce, 2004), since creativity itself is inherently triggered by social and cognitive stimuli (Kim et al, 2012)
We extend the role of psychological ownership as a mediator that transmits the effects of P–O fit and turnover intention to creative behaviors

Summary

Introduction

Employees’ creative behaviors have recently gained more importance—both in business and in academia—than in the last century. Employees’ ability to come up with fresh ideas for changing or developing products, services, and processes can help to improve their organizations’ competitive performance (Amabile et al, 2005; de Jong & Den Hartog, 2007). Employees’ psychological ownership of their organization, among other possible antecedents, seems to play a critical role in the development of positive employee behaviors, including extra role (Park et al, 2013), constructive (Yildiz et al, 2015), innovative (Liu et al, 2019), and creative behaviors (Gray et al, 2020). Other possible behavioral antecedents of creativity, such as positive employee perceptions, attitudes, and intentions, must be studied deeply to understand the complex nature of their interrelations. The discovery of a mediator to bridge various antecedents to the consequences would reduce this complexity

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion