Time-lagged Research Design Research Articles

The Effects of Illegitimate Tasks on Task Crafting and Cyberloafing: The Role of Stress Mindset and Stress Appraisal.

Previous studies have mainly focused on the detrimental effects of illegitimate tasks as ubiquitous workplace stressors while ignoring the appraisal measures for such tasks. The term "illegitimate" is used by employees to describe the alignment of a task with their job role rather than the inherent qualities of the task itself. Thus, drawing on the transactional theory of stress, this study examines the moderating effect of the stress mindset on the relationship between illegitimate tasks and the appraisal of such tasks. On this basis, this study further explores when cognitive appraisal mediates the effects of illegitimate tasks on coping behaviors (task crafting and cyberloafing). Data were collected from 285 employees from an energy company in Shandong, China, by using a time-lagged research design. The findings indicate that employees react differently to illegitimate tasks depending on their stress mindset. Specifically, for employees with a stress-is-enhancing mindset, illegitimate tasks induce their challenge appraisal, which leads to task crafting. In addition, illegitimate tasks induce hindrance appraisal in employees with a stress-is-debilitating mindset, which leads to cyberloafing. In practice, this research study suggests that when illegitimate tasks cannot be eliminated, organizations should consider employees' stress mindset when assigning such tasks.

Workplace small talk and task performance: the chain mediation role of relational energy and positive affect

Purpose Small talk, often regarded as a superficial interaction unrelated to work, is a pervasive and inescapable aspect of daily life and professional settings. In China, where the notion of guanxi – the cultivation of strategic relationships – is deeply valued, workplace small talk (WST) is a strategic tool used by employees to strengthen their interpersonal networks. This study aims to investigate the positive impact of WST on task performance within the Chinese workplace and explores the mechanisms underpinning this relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a time-lagged research design to test its hypotheses using data from 516 employees across various Chinese firms. Findings This study revealed that WST exerts both direct and indirect positive effects on task performance. It boosts task performance indirectly via two mediators: relational energy and positive affect. This study also delineated a chain mediation model wherein WST sequentially elevates task performance by first enhancing relational energy and then fostering positive affect. Originality/value Counter to the prevailing focus on the negative repercussions of WST, this study sheds light on its beneficial outcomes, proposing novel pathways connecting WST to task performance. These insights contribute to both academic discourse and the development of practical management strategies.

Effect of empowering leadership on employees' workplace loneliness: a moderated mediation model.

Workplace loneliness has become a prevalent experience among employees in organizations; however, there is limited empirical research on how leaders can address and mitigate this issue. Drawing upon self-determination theory and empowering leadership theory, this study examines the impact of empowering leadership on workplace loneliness by exploring the mediator of role breadth self-efficacy and the moderator of leader-member conversational quality. A time-lagged research design was used, collecting data through a two-wave online survey involving 531 employees in Chinese public sectors. The participants consisted of 321 males and 210 females, with an average age of 35 years (SD = 7.36). Our findings indicate that empowering leadership positively influences employees' role breadth self-efficacy, reducing their workplace loneliness. Moreover, leader-member conversational quality strengthens this indirect effect, suggesting that empowering leadership is more effective in reducing workplace loneliness when leader-member conversational quality is high. This study expands and enriches research on the antecedents of workplace loneliness from the leadership approach, providing valuable insights for organizations to implement interventions that effectively alleviate employees' workplace loneliness.

Positive affect congruence between recruiters and applicants: effects on mutual attitudes and behaviors

ABSTRACT Drawing on social identity theory and the elaboration likelihood model, the authors hypothesize that positive affect (PA) similarity between recruiters and applicants affects both parties, and the influenced recruiters’ behaviour thus affecting applicants’ attitudes and behaviours. Nine hypotheses are tested by conducting two studies featuring a time-lagged research design with the goal of investigating the recruitment practices used by higher education institutions (HEIs) in China. Cross-level polynomial regression and block variable approaches examining 142 and 148 separate recruiter/applicant dyads support the proposed recruiter/applicant PA similarity effects. The underlying mechanism is revealed to be recruiters’ informativeness and affective delivery (Study 1), that then causes applicants to form brand identification, which further influences applicants’ attraction to the organization, and intentions to spread positive word-of-mouth about the organization (Study 2). Findings indicate that HEIs and organizations should strive to match applicant/recruiter PA levels. Implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

Impact of customer engagement strategy on customer loyalty from the perspective of consumer well-being

PurposeThis study aims to investigate mechanisms and boundary conditions of the impact of customer engagement strategies (CESs) on customer loyalty (CL) based on goal-framing and well-being theory.Design/methodology/approachThrough a three-stage, time-lagged research design, 246 valid samples were obtained. This study tested and validated the proposed framework using hierarchical regression analysis and a moderated mediation procedure.FindingsFirst, CESs have a significant positive impact on CL. Second, consumer well-being (CWB) partially mediates the CESs–CL relationship. Third, information processing style (IPS) moderates the impact of CESs on CWB, with a more pronounced effect observed under the affective processing style. Finally, IPS further moderates the indirect effect of CESs on CL, indicating that CESs enhance CL through increased CWB, particularly under the affective processing style.Originality/valueRevealing the pivotal role of CESs in enhancing CL at the corporate level helps bridge the gap between companies and customers, thereby facilitating the establishment of long-term cooperative relationships. Additionally, introducing the concept of CWB into the study of CL offers a novel perspective for understanding customer behavior.

The role of green innovation in the relationship between green HRM practices and sustainable business performance; evidence from the mining industry

PurposeDrawing on the natural resource-based view (NRBV) theory, the study aimed to examine the mediating role of green innovation (GI) in the nexus between green human resource management practices (Green HRMPs) and sustainable business performance (SBP).Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted the descriptive time-lagged research design. Data were collected from 278 managerial staff of five mining companies in Ghana at different waves within a 3-month interval. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data received using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) statistics (V. 26.0) and Smart PLS (V.4.0).FindingsThe study found that Green HRMPs significantly related more to economic performance (EP) than social performance (SP) but did not significantly relate to environmental performance (EnP). Moreover, the results revealed that GI partially mediated the nexus between Green HRMPs and both SP and EP but fully mediated the link between Green HRMPs and EnP.Originality/valueThe relevance of Green HRMPs in ensuring corporate sustainability has been largely established in the extant literature. However, there is an evidential dearth of studies in the literature concerning the mediating role of GI in the nexus between Green HRMPs and SBP, especially in developing economies context. Hence, this study serves as a significant contributing card from Ghana by advancing the NRBV theory.

Navigating AI transitions: how coaching leadership buffers against job stress and protects employee physical health.

The dynamic interplay between Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption in modern organizations and its implications for employee well-being presents a paramount area of academic exploration. Within the context of rapid technological advancements, AI's promise to revolutionize operational efficiency juxtaposes challenges relating to job stress and employee health. This study explores the nuanced effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption on employee physical health within organizational settings, investigating the potential mediating role of job stress and the moderating influence of coaching leadership. Drawing from the conservation of resource theory, the research hypothesized that AI adoption would negatively impact employee physical health both directly and indirectly through increased job stress. Critically, our conceptual model underscores the mediating role of job stress between AI adoption and physical health. Further, introducing a novel dimension to this discourse, we postulate the moderating influence of coaching leadership. To empirically test the hypotheses, we gathered survey data from 375 South Korean workers with a three-wave time-lagged research design. Our results demonstrated that all the hypotheses were supported. The results have significant implications for organizational strategies concerning AI implementation and leadership development.

Does social capital affect supply chain performance? Establishing an underlying mechanism and a boundary condition

PurposeThis study examines the direct and indirect effects of social capital on supply chain performance via supply chain quality integration (SCQI), which refers to integrating supply chain partners from the perspective of quality management. It also examines the moderating role of environmental uncertainty in the link between social capital and SCQI and determines the conditional indirect effect of social capital on supply chain performance via SCQI.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a time-lagged research design through a self-administered survey of supply chain professionals in manufacturing firms in Pakistan. Hayes’ PROCESS Macro was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results show a positive relationship between social capital and supply chain performance. SCQI partially mediates the relationship between social capital and supply chain performance. Environmental uncertainty significantly moderates that relationship in such a way that firms that operate under high environmental uncertainty are more likely to use their social capital to develop SCQI than firms that operate under low environmental uncertainty.Practical implicationsThe study has practical implications for managers who seek to implement SCQI practices using social capital. Leveraging social capital across the supply chain fosters strong connections and a quality-oriented approach across the supply chain, and improves overall performance. Managers can use the power of social capital to navigate environmental uncertainty.Originality/valueThis study’s originality lies in its drawing on the dynamic capability theory and contingency theory and integrating the dispersed scholarly work on social capital, SCQI, and supply chain performance under the boundary condition of environmental uncertainty.

Linking undergraduates’ future work self and employability: a moderated mediation model

BackgroundThe career intentions of students play a crucial role in shaping the growth of the hospitality and tourism industry. Previous research underlines the significance of future work self in predicting outcomes related to one’s career. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the precise ways, timing, and conditions under which the future work self of undergraduate students can enhance their employability.MethodsThis paper aims to address the existing research gap by employing career construction theory and self-determination theory to propose a moderated mediation model—i.e., career exploration serves as a mediator and job market knowledge functions as a moderator in the relationship between future work self and employability. We conducted two independent studies (i.e., an experimental study and a time-lagged field study) to test the proposed model. Specifically, in Study 1 we employed an experimental research design to recruit 61 students majoring in tourism management to participate. They were randomly assigned to two scenarios (future work self: high vs. low), and we manipulated different levels of future work self by means of scenario descriptions. In Study 2, we used the time-lagged research design to collect data via submitting questionnaires among 253 Chinese undergraduates who majored in hospitality and tourism at a university in the middle area of China.ResultsThe results indicate a positive correlation between undergraduates’ future work self and their employability. Furthermore, this relationship is mediated by a mediator of career exploration. It is important to note that this mediating relationship is also contingent upon the moderator variable of undergraduates’ job market knowledge when considering the impact of career exploration on employability.ConclusionThe findings contribute to enriching the current understanding of the positive effects of future work self on undergraduates’ desirable outcomes in employability.

The influence of bootleg innovation on individual innovation performance: The mediating effect of cognitive flexibility and the moderating effect of leadership's emotional intelligence.

Based Correctly handling the creativity of employees who have not been adopted is not only conducive to continuously stimulating employees' creativity and improving individual innovation performance, but also conducive to making the best use of organizational resources. This study integrates conservation of resource theory (COR) and social information processing theory to explore the influence of bootleg innovation behavior in organizations on individual innovation performance, as well as the mediating role of cognitive flexibility and the moderating role of leadership emotional intelligence. A three-stage time-lagged research design is used to obtain a valid sample of 327 employees from China. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was applied to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings demonstrated that bootleg innovation is positively related to individual innovation performance; cognitive flexibility mediates the relationship between bootleg innovation and individual innovation performance. Moreover, leadership emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between bootleg innovation and individual innovation performance and between bootleg innovation and cognitive flexibility and between cognitive flexibility and individual innovation performance respectively. The conclusion of the study not only provides a theoretical basis for individuals and leaders to deal with employees' creative abortion, but also provides a new thinking mode for how to maximize the effectiveness of unaccepted ideas and promote individual innovation performance.

How job autonomy influences life satisfaction: the role of work-family enrichment and segmentation preference

Purpose Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study aims to develop and test a model of moderated mediation in the relationship between job autonomy and employee life satisfaction, focusing on the mediating role of work–family enrichment (WFE) and the moderating role of segmentation preference. Design/methodology/approach Using a time-lagged research design, data were collected from 314 employees representing various organisations in Vietnam. The PROCESS macro in SPSS 20.0 was used to analyse the relationships. Findings The results indicate a positive relationship between job autonomy and employees’ life satisfaction, mediated by WFE. Additionally, the indirect effect of job autonomy on life satisfaction via WFE was weaker when employees preferred high work–family segmentation. Practical implications The study suggests that organisations can enhance employee life satisfaction by increasing job autonomy and promoting WFE. Organisations can establish a more supportive and engaging work environment that promotes well-being by tailoring these interventions to suit employees’ segmentation preferences. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by shedding light on how organisational factors influence employee life satisfaction. It provides the first empirical evidence of a relationship between job autonomy and life satisfaction. It also explores the potential mediation effect of WFE and the moderating effect of segmentation preference.

Does Servant Leadership Decrease Bad Behaviors? The Mediating Role of Psychological Safety and the Moderating Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility

The aim of this research is to elucidate the intricate dynamics of the effects of servant leadership on employee behavior, particularly focusing on counterproductive work behavior. Drawing on the context–attitude–behavior framework, this study underscores the mediating role of psychological safety in this relationship. Additionally, it unveils the pivotal moderating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR), emphasizing its interaction with servant leadership in influencing psychological safety. To empirically test our hypotheses, we gathered survey data from 394 South Korean workers with a three-wave time-lagged research design. Findings indicate that in contexts with pronounced CSR, servant leadership significantly elevates psychological safety, mitigating negative employee behaviors. Conversely, in organizations with less CSR engagement, these positive effects are attenuated. The results underscore the integral role of CSR in complementing leadership initiatives, advocating for its holistic incorporation into organizational strategies to foster conducive work environments. This research bridges several gaps in the current literature, highlighting the imperative for organizations to intertwine servant leadership with robust CSR endeavors to curtail detrimental employee behaviors. This paper also proposes potential directions for future research in this crucial area.

The effect of employee goal orientation on change-supportive behavior: a moderated mediation approach

PurposeBased on goal orientation theory, this study aims to examine how and when employees' performance goal orientations (PGOs) affect their change-supportive behavior in entrepreneurial firms undergoing change.Design/methodology/approachA two-wave time-lagged research design was applied to collect data from companies undergoing change in China.FindingsThe results showed that employees' performance-proving goal orientation (PPGO) was positively related to change-supportive behavior, and employees' performance-avoiding goal orientation (PAGO) was negatively related to change-supportive behavior. Openness to change played a mediating role in these mechanisms, and employees' learning goal orientation (LGO) played a moderating role.Originality/valueBy solving the mechanism of the relationship between PGOs and change-supportive behavior that has not been explored before, this study answers the question of how and when different PGOs affect support behavior.

How does AI-enabled HR analytics influence employee resilience: job crafting as a mediator and HRM system strength as a moderator

PurposeBased on the JD-R model and process-focused HRM perspective, this research paper aims to investigate the processes underlying the relationship between AI-enabled HR analytics and employee well-being outcomes (resilience) that received less attention in the AI-driven HRM literature. Specifically, this study aims to examine the indirect effect between AI-enabled HR analytics and employee resilience via job crafting, moderated by HRM system strength to highlight the contextual stimulus of AI-enabled HR analytics.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopted a time-lagged research design (one-month interval) to test the proposed hypotheses. The authors used two-wave surveys to collect data from 175 full-time hotel employees in China.FindingsThe findings indicated that employees' perceptions of AI-enabled HR analytics enhance their resilience. This study also found the mediation role of job crafting in the mentioned relationship. Moreover, the positive effects of AI-enabled HR analytics on employee resilience amplify in the presence of a strong HRM system.Practical implicationsOrganizations that aim to utilize AI-enabled HR analytics to achieve organizational missions should also dedicate attention to its associated employee well-being outcomes.Originality/valueThis study enriched the literature with regard to AI-driven HRM in that it identifies the mediating role of job crafting and the moderating role of HRM system strength in the relationship between AI-enabled HR analytics and employee resilience.

Strengths use in the workplace: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis aimed to clarify the relationship between perceived organisational support and core self-evaluations and strengths use and task performance outcomes utilising a cross-temporal versus time-lagged research design. Drawing on the random effects model, this study combined 44 effect sizes from 23 independent studies (including 8 313 samples). The results indicated that strengths use is positively related to core self-evaluations (CSE) (ρ = 0.40) and perceived organisational support for strengths use (POSSU) (ρ = 0.47), task performance (ρ = 0.45), organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) (ρ = 0.37), positive affect (ρ = 0.51), work engagement (ρ = 0.53), and self-efficacy (ρ = 0) organisational design (cross-temporal versus time-lagged) does not significantly moderate the relationships of interest. The findings imply that utilising the strengths of employees is essential for effective human resource management and employees’ career development.

Creative self-efficacy – a double-edged sword: the moderating role of mindfulness between deliberate practice, creative self-efficacy, and innovation performance

PurposeDeliberate practice, an iterative process, has garnered increasing attention of researchers and practitioners in entrepreneurship and business domains in the recent years. However, research studies are on rise that found its positive correlates with superior performance. Nevertheless, whether the relationship always holds positive is an intriguing question that wedged the authors’ attention to probe the causal mechanism that might scrutinize the association otherwise. The purpose of the study is to build on the social cognitive theory and the attribution theory to project that deliberate practice deteriorates innovation performance due to augmented creative self-efficacy (CSE). While, individuals who draw on their mindfulness can overcome the harmful effects of increased CSE on innovation performance, subsequently translating deliberate practice into enhanced innovation performance through CSE.Design/methodology/approachThe authors gather data from 312 entrepreneurs in the small and medium enterprises using a time-lagged research design and analyze the results using SmartPLS (v 4.0).FindingsThe findings reveal that deliberate practice significantly affects CSE of entrepreneurs. Besides, deliberate practice negatively influences innovation performance through CSE. In addition, the study finds that mindfulness significantly moderates the relationships between CSE and innovation performance and deliberate practice and innovation performance through CSE.Originality/valueThis is the first study that examines a moderated mediated model of CSE as a deteriorating agent and mindfulness as a coping mechanism between deliberate practice and innovation performance of entrepreneurs. The study highlights several essential theoretical and practical implications.

The impact of sales environment competitiveness on salespeople’s inclination towards unethical sales practices: The mediating role of self-control depletion and the moderating role of ethical leadership

The study aims to explore the relationship between the sales environment competitiveness and the tendency towards unethical sales practices among salespeople who work in a demanding sales environment. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study proposes that the perceived sales environment competition leads to self-control depletion, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of unfair sales practices. The study also suggests that ethical leadership can mitigate the aforementioned relationships. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires from 379 salespeople working in the retail banking sector of Pakistan, using a time-lagged research design and structural equation modelling for analysis. Findings reveal that an increase in perceived sales environment competition leads to a higher probability of unethical sales practices due to self-control depletion. Ethical leadership plays a crucial role in constraining the influence of the perceived sales environment competition on self-control depletion. The study contributes to the sales ethics literature by investigating unethical sales practices from the perspective of sales environment competitiveness in contrast to the prevailing research that largely emphasizes on organizational or individual-level factors. Practically, this study suggests organizational decision makers and managers to consider the influence of a demanding sales environment and the psychological mechanisms that incline salespeople towards unethical sales practices; they should then design the appropriate mechanisms to control this behaviour. For instance, this can be achieved by incentivizing ethical sales practices or fostering a strong ethical culture within the organization to internalize sales ethics. Moreover, this study recommends sales manager to maintain high ethical standards to prevent the negative effect of a competitive sales environment on the ethical behaviour of salespeople. JEL Classification: M50

Determinants and consequences of job crafting under the boundary conditions of work uncertainty

PurposeThis paper explores critical job resources (CRJRs) as predictors of job crafting and sustainable employability. Using job demands-resources (JD-R) theory as a theoretical lens, the authors examine how job crafting mediates CRJR and sustainable employability and whether work uncertainty as a boundary condition further strengthened these associations using moderated mediation approach.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a cross-sectional time-lagged research design by collecting data from 483 knowledge workers in Pakistan's healthcare and universities, both public and private. The authors used structural equation modeling using AMOS 25.0 software to examine the proposed relationships’ mediation, moderation and moderated-mediation processes, such as Hayes (2018) process models 1,7,14 and 58. In addition, the authors tested a structural model with self-developed estimands instead of using process macros available in SPSS by computing variables.FindingsThe results of this study confirmed that CRJR predicts job crafting and employees' sustainable employability. Furthermore, comprehensive testing suggested that mediation of job crafting between CRJR and sustainable employability further strengthened in the presence of a boundary condition of work uncertainty.Originality/valueThe study uncovers CRJR (job, organizational, social and relational) as a predictor of job crafting. The authors suggest that job design integrating CRJR helps organizations and managers promote job crafting and make employees responsible for their sustainable employability. The proposed CRJR has not been used as a predictor of job crafting, and no such study tested CRJR as a predictor of sustainable employability. The authors made comprehensive testing to examine the boundary condition of work uncertainty while examining the CRJR and sustainable employability relations via job crafting.

Servitized SMEs’ performance and the influences of sustainable procurement, packaging, and distribution: The mediating role of eco-innovation

The current paper is one of the pioneering studies to specifically analyze the role of both inbound and outbound sustainable supply chain practices (SSCP) of servitized SMEs in a relatively high-risk emerging economy context of Pakistan. Building on Porter’s Value Chain Model, this study analyzes the influence of sustainable servitization on multiple performance indicators (including environmental, economic, social, and operational) of servitized SMEs. We further investigate the role of eco-innovation as a mediator. The study employs a time-lagged research design, based on primary data collected from 280 managers of servitized SMEs. We found that sustainable practices positively impact servitized SMEs’ performance, except for sustainable procurement’s influence on operational performance. Finally, eco-innovation was found to partially mediate the analyzed inter-relationships.

What’s love got to do with it? How does workplace romance provoke workplace ostracism and interpersonal conflict

PurposeExtant research on workplace ostracism has investigated a victimization perspective to understand ostracism at the cost of examining the perpetrator-centric view of ostracism. This study aims to draw on the self-categorization theory and the social exchange theory to investigate the harmful effects of workplace romance in cultivating workplace ostracism from the perspective of perpetrator to combat concerns for victim blaming. This study further proposes that workplace ostracism triggered by workplace romance provokes interpersonal conflict. Besides, this study investigates the moderating role of prosocial behavior in the underlying linkages.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a multisource, time-lagged research design to collect data from employees working in the service sector organizations in Pakistan. This study analyzes 367 responses using SmartPLS (v 4.0).FindingsThe findings of this study reveal that workplace romance elicits workplace ostracism, which, in turn, fosters interpersonal conflict among coworkers. In addition, this study finds that ingroup prosocial behavior strengthens the associations between workplace romance and workplace ostracism, and workplace romance and interpersonal conflict, mediated by workplace ostracism such that the associations are more potent at higher levels of ingroup prosocial behavior and vice versa.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines workplace romance as the perpetrator-centric antecedent of workplace ostracism, and ingroup prosocial behavior in exaggerating the outgroup ostracism and interpersonal conflict.