Unleashing the mechanism to promote psychological ownership: a comparative study of generation X, Y, and Z

Abstract

Purpose With the increasing turnover intention worldwide, psychological ownership is gaining traction. Considering the significance of the same for the development and growth of an organization, this paper explores the mechanism to promote psychological ownership and how generational differences contribute to the same. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was designed and circulated to 1450 employees covering Generation X, Y, and Z. A total of 378 usable responses were received and subjected to Process Macro Model 7 to test seven hypotheses. SPSS was used to test the reliability and validity of the dataset, and RStudio was used for the Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Findings The findings supported the moderated mediation model between psychological ownership (PO) and psychological availability (PA). Here, meaningfulness (MN) was the mediator, and age was the moderator. The paper suggests that Generation Z experiences significantly lower psychological ownership (PO) and psychological availability (PA) compared to their elder colleagues. The indirect effect of PA on PO through meaningfulness was significant for all generations, and the generational transition also introduced significant changes. Originality/value This is the first study to examine the generational differences in psychological ownership among employees. Accordingly, this research adds to the organizational development literature and suggests that human resource managers design customized interventions for promoting psychological availability. Also, the organization needs to maintain demographic diversity to facilitate learning and development.