Xinyuan (Roy) Zhao, Jiale Wang, Anna Mattila, Aliana Man Wai Leong, Zhenzhen Cui, Zaoning Sun, Chunjiang Yang and Yashuo Chen
Frontline employees’ proactive behaviors (i.e. job crafting) are critical to satisfying customers’ idiosyncratic needs. If the supervisors practice job crafting, their…
Abstract
Purpose
Frontline employees’ proactive behaviors (i.e. job crafting) are critical to satisfying customers’ idiosyncratic needs. If the supervisors practice job crafting, their subordinates are more likely to mimic such behaviors. However, there has been limited research on how leaders’ job crafting can influence subordinates’ job crafting. This study aims to examine the cross-level mechanisms (i.e. trickle-down effects) of supervisors’ job crafting on the subordinates’ attitudes and performance. Specifically, such trickle-down effects can be explained via two cross-level mechanisms of the supervisors’ job crafting on the subordinates’ work engagement and performance: social learning mechanism and job demands-resources mechanism.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-wave cross-lagged study was conducted in two-week intervals. The valid responses from 67 supervisors and their 201 subordinates were collected. The data set was analyzed using multilevel Structural Equation Modeling.
Findings
The results demonstrated that the social learning and job demands-resources mechanisms are not independent. The supervisor’s job crafting improves employment relationships, subsequently encourages subordinates’ job crafting and ultimately enhances work engagement and work performance.
Practical implications
The findings suggested that hospitality organizations should encourage job crafting among supervisors and managers. A proactive hotel manager can establish strong employment relationships, motivate subordinates to work proactively and obtain positive work outcomes.
Originality/value
The findings enrich the knowledge about the trickle-down effects of supervisors on subordinates in terms of job-crafting behaviors. In particular, this study found a new theoretical perspective that the job demands-resources and social learning mechanisms may not be independent, and the subordinates’ perception of the employment relationship plays a critical role.
Details
Keywords
Chunjiang Yang, Yashuo Chen, Xinyuan Zhao and Zhenzhen Cui
Drawing upon the social identity theory, the authors argue that professionals' career identities have a positive indirect effect on identification with on-demand organizations…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing upon the social identity theory, the authors argue that professionals' career identities have a positive indirect effect on identification with on-demand organizations through career networking behavior. In addition, the strength of these beneficial effects was also bound by extraversion and collectivism.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypothesized moderated mediation model was tested by multisource and time-lagged data about 242 Chinese accountants engaging in on-demand work.
Findings
The results demonstrated that professionals with a career identity tend to engage in career networking behaviors and identify themselves with a client company. In addition, extraverted professionals were more likely to engage in career networking behaviors, and collectivist professionals were more likely to identify with their on-demand organizations.
Practical implications
This research provides important guidelines on how managers in on-demand organizations leverage gig workers' career identities to establish deep relationships with them.
Originality/value
The authors expanded the traditional framework of identification in the setting of nontraditional work arrangements by establishing a link between career identity and organizational identification for on-demand professionals.
Details
Keywords
Chunjiang Yang, Yashuo Chen and Aobo Chen
Using the theoretical lens of sensemaking, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between on-the-job shocks, as experienced by the employees and intention to stay (IS) by…
Abstract
Purpose
Using the theoretical lens of sensemaking, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between on-the-job shocks, as experienced by the employees and intention to stay (IS) by shedding light on the mediating role of organizational embeddedness (OE) and the moderating role of commitment human resource practices (CHRP).
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a time-lagged research design, collecting data from 304 employees from 48 teams in China to conduct multilevel structural equation modeling to test hypotheses.
Findings
This study found that employees who suffer on-the-job shocks tend to decrease their IS in organizations via OE. However, CHRP did not bound the main effect of on-the-job shocks on OE.
Practical implications
Given the increasingly dynamic business environment, employees constantly encounter shocks in the workplace. Organizations or leaders should be aware of the on-the-job shocks in harming employee retention.
Originality/value
The research highlights workplace events’ significance in investigating employees’ retention and specifically offers glimpses into the mechanisms by which on-the-job shocks manifest themselves in employees’ IS.
Details
Keywords
Chunjiang Yang, Yashuo Chen, Xinyuan (Roy) Zhao and Nan Hua
This paper aims to examine the impacts of transformational leadership and employee proactive personality on service performance, the mediation role of organizational embeddedness…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impacts of transformational leadership and employee proactive personality on service performance, the mediation role of organizational embeddedness and the synergies of transformational leadership and proactive personality within the proposed framework.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected following a time-lagged research approach. The study sample included 218 frontline employees and their supervisors from ten carefully selected five-star hotels in China. Structural equation modeling was employed for the data analysis.
Findings
Transformational leadership and proactive personality had positive effects on task performance and contextual performance via organizational embeddedness. The interactive influences of transformational leadership and proactive personality on task performance and contextual performance were found significant and negative.
Originality/value
Transformational leaders and proactive employees have been shown to exert a strong influence on excellent service performance, with organizational embeddedness playing a critical role.