Is leader innovation a challenge or a burden for employees? The perspective of affective events
The importance of innovation has lit scholars' passion to figure out how to encourage innovative behavior, while its outcomes have been largely overlooked. Meanwhile, prior studies have focused on employees as the innovator and ignored that leaders are even more responsible to innovate. To unde...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Acta Psychologica |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825003683 |
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| author | Shiwei Zhang Chuqi Hang Xiaojing Shao Li Zhang |
| author_facet | Shiwei Zhang Chuqi Hang Xiaojing Shao Li Zhang |
| author_sort | Shiwei Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The importance of innovation has lit scholars' passion to figure out how to encourage innovative behavior, while its outcomes have been largely overlooked. Meanwhile, prior studies have focused on employees as the innovator and ignored that leaders are even more responsible to innovate. To understand employees' emotional and behavioral reactions to leader innovative behavior, this study drew on the affective events theory and regulatory focus theory and constructed a dual pathway model to illustrate the double-edge sword effects of leader innovation. We collected data from 219 full-time employees through three rounds of surveys and conducted statistical analysis and hypothesis testing using Mplus 8.3. The results revealed a significant positive effect of leader innovative behavior on employee work engagement through harmonious passion, which is moderated by employee promotion focus, such that the positive effect is stronger when promotion focus is higher. The results also indicated that leader innovative behavior is positively related to employee work withdrawal via job anxiety and prevention focus moderate the relationship, such that the positive effect is stronger when prevention focus is higher. This study reveals the double-edge sword effect of leader innovation on employee work behaviors from an affective event perspective, which provides theoretical and practical guidance for leaders and organizations in promoting the positive effect while reducing the negative effect of leader innovative behavior. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d7a7f06cbf7e4f08ba6c19e1b3c7f6eb |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0001-6918 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Psychologica |
| spelling | doaj-art-d7a7f06cbf7e4f08ba6c19e1b3c7f6eb2025-08-20T03:09:44ZengElsevierActa Psychologica0001-69182025-06-0125610505510.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105055Is leader innovation a challenge or a burden for employees? The perspective of affective eventsShiwei Zhang0Chuqi Hang1Xiaojing Shao2Li Zhang3School of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, 13 Fayuan Street, Nangang District, Harbin 150001, China; Agricultural Development Bank of China, Shangzhi Avenue, Daoli Disctrict, Harbin 150000, ChinaSchool of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, 13 Fayuan Street, Nangang District, Harbin 150001, ChinaCollege of Economics and Management, Northeast Agricultural University, Changjiang Road, Xiangfang District, Harbin 150030, ChinaSchool of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, 13 Fayuan Street, Nangang District, Harbin 150001, China; Corresponding author.The importance of innovation has lit scholars' passion to figure out how to encourage innovative behavior, while its outcomes have been largely overlooked. Meanwhile, prior studies have focused on employees as the innovator and ignored that leaders are even more responsible to innovate. To understand employees' emotional and behavioral reactions to leader innovative behavior, this study drew on the affective events theory and regulatory focus theory and constructed a dual pathway model to illustrate the double-edge sword effects of leader innovation. We collected data from 219 full-time employees through three rounds of surveys and conducted statistical analysis and hypothesis testing using Mplus 8.3. The results revealed a significant positive effect of leader innovative behavior on employee work engagement through harmonious passion, which is moderated by employee promotion focus, such that the positive effect is stronger when promotion focus is higher. The results also indicated that leader innovative behavior is positively related to employee work withdrawal via job anxiety and prevention focus moderate the relationship, such that the positive effect is stronger when prevention focus is higher. This study reveals the double-edge sword effect of leader innovation on employee work behaviors from an affective event perspective, which provides theoretical and practical guidance for leaders and organizations in promoting the positive effect while reducing the negative effect of leader innovative behavior.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825003683Leader innovative behaviorWork engagementWork withdrawalRegulatory focusAffective events theory |
| spellingShingle | Shiwei Zhang Chuqi Hang Xiaojing Shao Li Zhang Is leader innovation a challenge or a burden for employees? The perspective of affective events Acta Psychologica Leader innovative behavior Work engagement Work withdrawal Regulatory focus Affective events theory |
| title | Is leader innovation a challenge or a burden for employees? The perspective of affective events |
| title_full | Is leader innovation a challenge or a burden for employees? The perspective of affective events |
| title_fullStr | Is leader innovation a challenge or a burden for employees? The perspective of affective events |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is leader innovation a challenge or a burden for employees? The perspective of affective events |
| title_short | Is leader innovation a challenge or a burden for employees? The perspective of affective events |
| title_sort | is leader innovation a challenge or a burden for employees the perspective of affective events |
| topic | Leader innovative behavior Work engagement Work withdrawal Regulatory focus Affective events theory |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825003683 |
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