How does deviance tolerance enhance innovative behavior? The mediating role of cognitive crafting and the moderating role of regulatory focus
ISSN: 1750-614X
Article publication date: 2 February 2023
Issue publication date: 2 January 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the social information processing theory, this study aims to adopt a moderated mediation model to investigate the mediation role of cognitive crafting and the moderation role of regulatory focus in the relationship between perceived deviance tolerance and employee innovative behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire study with 181 employees from a state-owned communications technology company in China was conducted through a two-wave survey, with a one-month lagged design. The model is tested through confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis and PROCESS bootstrapping program in SPSS24.0 and AMOS22.0 software.
Findings
This study confirms that perceived deviance tolerance is positively related to innovative behavior, while cognitive crafting mediates the relationship between perceived deviance tolerance and innovative behavior. Furthermore, the promotion focus positively moderates the relationship between perceived deviance tolerance and cognitive crafting, and higher promotion focus enhances the mediating effect of cognitive crafting on the relationship between perceived deviance tolerance and innovative behavior. The prevention focus negatively moderates the relationship between perceived deviance tolerance and cognitive crafting, and higher prevention focus weakens the mediating effect of cognitive crafting on the relationship between perceived deviance tolerance and innovative behavior.
Practical implications
Organizations need to establish a tolerant and inclusive management system and create a harmonious working atmosphere to provide a platform basis to inspire the innovative behavior of employees. Also, regulatory focus variables are suggested to be considered in organizational human resource management processes (e.g. recruitment and training) to improve organizational person–job fit.
Originality/value
The primary contribution of this study is to confirm that perceived deviance tolerance has a positive impact on innovation behavior and thereby providing a new perspective to understand the impact effect of perceived deviance tolerance. Another contribution the study explores the mechanisms and boundary conditions of perceived deviance tolerance on innovative behavior fills the theoretical gap of perceived deviance tolerance.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This paper was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71832003); The Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences Research Planning Fund Project (Grant No. 22YJA630049); The Scientific Research Project of Hunan Provincial Education Department (Grant No. 21A0375); The Changsha Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. kq2202302); The Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (Grant No. 2022JJ30208).
Conflict of interest. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Declarations of interest. None.
Citation
Yu, S., Liu, S., Gong, X., Lu, W. and Liu, C.-e. (2024), "How does deviance tolerance enhance innovative behavior? The mediating role of cognitive crafting and the moderating role of regulatory focus", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 243-264. https://doi.org/10.1108/CMS-07-2022-0240
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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