Unpacking the predictive effects of social characteristics on job crafting

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the predictive effects of social context and its interaction effects with individual differences on job crafting behaviors. Specially, this paper draws on the purposeful work behavior theory to outline how the four social characteristics (social support, interdependence, interaction outside the organization and feedback from others) and the moderation effects of neuroticism predict task crafting, relational crafting and cognitive crafting. Design/methodology/approach The current study examined four social characteristics as antecedents of job crafting behaviors. The moderating effects of neuroticism were explored as well. By conducting a three-wave survey, the authors received a sample of 253 full-time incumbents in Japan. The data analysis used multiple regressions by using R language. Correlational and moderated regression analyses were performed to test this study’s hypotheses. Findings Empirical analysis of this study’s data shows some initial support for the application of the purposeful work behaviors theory to job crafting. The findings indicate that all four social characteristics promoted particular job crafting behaviors. Neuroticism was a significant moderator for the relationships between social support, interaction outside the organization, feedback from others and relative job crafting dimensions. The current study extends existing models of job crafting. Originality/value The current study makes significant theoretical contributions for both work design and job crafting literature. The present framework enriches our understanding of job crafting by demonstrating a picture of a moderated model between social characteristics and job crafting by uncovering the moderator – neuroticism. This study’s findings also contribute to managerial practices. Managers should build a supportive context and provide interdependence, interactions outside the organization and interpersonal performance feedback. To motivate employees with different personalities, offering different social context is necessary.

The effect of intrinsic and extrinsic goals on work performance

Purpose Based on the goal content theory (GCT), the purpose of this paper is to focus on the essence of goals and examine the associations between different work goal contents (intrinsic and extrinsic goals) and work performance. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from 279 employees and their immediate supervisors, and the theoretical hypotheses were tested by correlation and hierarchal regression analyses. Findings The results of the analyses showed that intrinsic goal content positively predicted task performance, dedicative performance, interpersonal performance, and adaptive performance and that extrinsic goal content positively predicted the task performance and adaptive performance; intrinsic goals were also found to enhance the relationship between extrinsic goals and task performance. Originality/value The contribution of the current study is that it explores whether both extrinsic goals and intrinsic goals can contribute to predicting work performance. Moreover, different from previous studies that focus on discussing the separate effects of intrinsic and extrinsic goals on outcomes, the authors aim to study the interaction effect between these goals, which enriches GCT.

The different relations of extrinsic, introjected, identified regulation and intrinsic motivation on employees’ performance

Purpose Following self-determination theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of four motivational profiles (external, introjected, identified regulation, and intrinsic motivation) on work performance (interpersonal, adaptive, task, and dedicative performance). The authors also examined the proposed relations with longitudinal data. Design/methodology/approach Participants in Studies 1 and 2 were from several companies in China. Employees completed the questionnaires to measure their work motivation, and managers completed the questionnaires to assess the subordinates’ work performance. Findings In Study 1, the authors found that identified regulation significantly predicted interpersonal performance and adaptive performance. External regulation, introjected regulation, and intrinsic motivation had no significant impacts on interpersonal, adaptive, task, or dedicative performance. In Study 2, the results revealed that identified regulation significantly predicted dedicative and interpersonal performance, but external regulation, introjected regulation, and intrinsic motivation had no significant impacts on the four types of performance. These two studies concluded that only identified regulation strongly predicts work performance. Originality/value The study has contributed to the body of knowledge by clarifying that identified regulation is an important type of motivation in the workplace. Managers might therefore focus on supporting employees for identifying with the organizational goals in order to promote better performance.

The Role of Interpersonal Influence in Counterbalancing Psychopathic Personality Trait Facets at Work

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations of two facets of psychopathic personality (i.e., self-centered impulsivity and fearless dominance) with interpersonally directed counterproductive work behavior (CWB-I) and contextual performance (CP). Consistent with research on psychopathy, our hypothesis suggested that self-centered impulsivity (i.e., behavioral impulsivity characterized by disregard for rules and responsibilities) would be positively related to CWB-I and negatively related to CP. Using socioanalytic theory, we further suggested that fearless dominance (i.e., an egotistical personal style characterized by self-promotion and prioritization of one’s own needs before those of others) would be negatively associated with interpersonal performance (i.e., high CWB-I and low CP) only when individuals indicated low levels of interpersonal influence (i.e., a dimension of political skill reflecting an ability to adapt one’s behavior in subtle, sophisticated, and situationally effective ways). Results provided strong support for the differential relations of the psychopathic personality dimensions with the criteria of interest. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are provided in light of a number of notable strengths and limitations.