Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T15:21:58.782Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Linking middle-managers' ownership feelings to their innovative work behaviour: the mediating role of affective organisational commitment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2022

Michael J. Mustafa*
Affiliation:
The University of Nottingham Malaysia, Nottingham University Business School, Semenyih, Malaysia
Siti Khadijah Zainal Badri
Affiliation:
Division of Organisational and Applied Psychology, The University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia
Hazel Melanie Ramos
Affiliation:
Division of Organisational and Applied Psychology, The University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia
*
Author for correspondence: Michael J. Mustafa, E-mail: Michael.mustafa@nottingham.edu.my

Abstract

Middle-managers' innovative behaviours are considered an essential determinant of firm-level innovativeness. While prior research has traditionally focused on the contextual determinants of middle-managers' innovative work behaviour (IWB), research regarding individual-level determinants continues to remain scant. Particularly lacking is research which explores how middle-managers' ownership feelings influence their IWB. This study investigates whether middle-managers' affective commitment mediates the relationship between their psychological ownership and their IWB. Data are collected from 110 middle-managers – supervisor dyads in a large Malaysian IT organisation. Findings from this study contribute to enhancing our understanding of the individual-level determinants of middle-managers' IWB.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, N. J., & Meyer, J. P. (1990). The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63(1), 118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, N., Potočnik, K., & Zhou, J. (2014). Innovation and creativity in organizations: A state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary, and guiding framework. Journal of Management, 40(5), 12971333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ashforth, B. E., Harrison, S. H., & Corley, K. G. (2008). Identification in organizations: An examination of four fundamental questions. Journal of Management, 34(3), 325374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. (1989). Social identity theory and the organization. Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 2039.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Auger, P., & Woodman, R. W. (2016). Creativity and intrinsic motivation: Exploring a complex relationship. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 52(3), 342366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Avey, J. B., Avolio, B. J., Crossley, C. D., & Luthans, F. (2009). Psychological ownership: Theoretical extensions, measurement and relation to work outcomes. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(2), 173191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baas, M., De Dreu, C. K., & Nijstad, B. A. (2008). A meta-analysis of 25 years of mood-creativity research: Hedonic tone, activation, or regulatory focus? Psychological Bulletin, 134(6), 779.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baer, M., & Brown, G. (2012). Blind in one eye: How psychological ownership of ideas affects the types of suggestions people adopt. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 118(1), 6071.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bammens, Y. P. (2016). Employees’ innovative behavior in social context: A closer examination of the role of organizational care. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 33(3), 244259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bani-Melhem, S., Zeffane, R., & Albaity, M. (2018). Determinants of employees’ innovative behavior. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(3), 16011620.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Battistelli, A., Odoardi, C., Vandenberghe, C., Di Napoli, G., & Piccione, L. (2019). Information sharing and innovative work behavior: The role of work-based learning, challenging tasks, and organizational commitment. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 30(3), 361381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Battistelli, A., Portoghese, I., Galletta, M., & Pohl, S. (2013). Beyond the tradition: Test of an integrative conceptual model on nurse turnover. International Nursing Review, 60(1), 103111.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Belk, R. W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), 139168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bergami, M., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2000). Self-categorization, affective commitment and group self-esteem as distinct aspects of social identity in the organization. British Journal of Social Psychology, 39(4), 555577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bernhard, F., & O'Driscoll, M. P. (2011). Psychological ownership in small family-owned businesses: Leadership style and nonfamily-employees’ work attitudes and behaviors. Group & Organization Management, 36(3), 345384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birken, S. A., Lee, S. Y. D., Weiner, B. J., Chin, M. H., Chiu, M., & Schaefer, C. T. (2015). From strategy to action: How top managers’ support increases middle managers’ commitment to innovation implementation in healthcare organizations. Health Care Management Review, 40(2), 159168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blader, S. L., Patil, S., & Packer, D. J. (2017). Organizational identification and workplace behavior: More than meets the eye. Research in Organizational Behavior, 37, 1934.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blader, S. L., & Tyler, T. R. (2009). Testing and extending the group engagement model: Linkages between social identity, procedural justice, economic outcomes, and extrarole behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(2), 445464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bos-Nehles, A. C., & Meijerink, J. G. (2018). HRM Implementation by multiple HRM actors: A social exchange perspective. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(22), 30683092.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bos-Nehles, A. C., & Veenendaal, A. A. (2019). Perceptions of HR practices and innovative work behavior: The moderating effect of an innovative climate. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(18), 26612683.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, G., Lawrence, T. B., & Robinson, S. L. (2005). Territoriality in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 30(3), 577594.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Černe, M., Hernaus, T., Dysvik, A., & Škerlavaj, M. (2017). The role of multilevel synergistic interplay among team mastery climate, knowledge hiding, and job characteristics in stimulating innovative work behavior. Human Resource Management Journal, 27(2), 281299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chai, D. S., Song, J. H., & You, Y. M. (2020). Psychological ownership and openness to change: The mediating effects of work engagement, and knowledge creation. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 33(3), 305326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, M. H., Chang, Y. Y., & Chang, Y. C. (2015). Entrepreneurial orientation, social networks, and creative performance: Middle managers as corporate entrepreneurs. Creativity and Innovation Management, 24(3), 493507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, Y., Jiang, Y. J., Tang, G., & Cooke, F. L. (2018). High-commitment work systems and middle managers’ innovative behavior in the Chinese context: The moderating role of work-life conflicts and work climate. Human Resource Management, 57(5), 13171334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coetzer, A., Inma, C., Poisat, P., Redmond, J., & Standing, C. (2018). Job embeddedness and employee enactment of innovation-related work behaviours. International Journal of Manpower, 39(2), 222239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crant, J. M. (2000). Proactive behavior in organizations. Journal of Management, 26(3), 435462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawkins, S., Tian, A. W., Newman, A., & Martin, A. (2017). Psychological ownership: A review and research agenda. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(2), 163183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Jong, J., & Den Hartog, D. (2010). Measuring innovative work behaviour. Creativity and Innovation Management, 19(1), 2336.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Visser, M., & Faems, D. (2015). Exploration and exploitation within firms: The impact of CEOs’ cognitive style on incremental and radical innovation performance. Creativity and Innovation Management, 24(3), 359372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dittmar, H. (1992). Perceived material wealth and first impressions. British Journal of Social Psychology, 31(4), 379391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Etzioni, A. (1993). The spirit of community: Rights, responsibilities, and the communitarian agenda. London: Fontana Books.Google Scholar
Floyd, S. W., & Wooldridge, B. (1997). Middle management's strategic influence and organizational performance. Journal of Management studies, 34(3), 465485.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fritze, M. P., Marchand, A., Eisingerich, A. B., & Benkenstein, M. (2020). Access-based services as substitutes for material possessions: The role of psychological ownership. Journal of Service Research, 23(3), 368385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garud, R., Tuertscher, P., & Van de Ven, A. H. (2013). Perspectives on innovation processes. Academy of Management Annals, 7(1), 775819.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guo, Y., Huy, Q. N., & Xiao, Z. (2017). How middle managers manage the political environment to achieve market goals: Insights from China's state-owned enterprises. Strategic Management Journal, 38(3), 676696.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2009). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2013). Partial least squares structural equation modeling: Rigorous applications, better results and higher acceptance. Long Range Planning, 46(1–2), 112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hales, C., & Mustapha, N. A. (2000). Commonalities and variations in managerial work: A study of middle managers in Malaysia. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 38(1), 125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hammond, M. M., Neff, N. L., Farr, J. L., Schwall, A. R., & Zhao, X. (2011). Predictors of individual-level innovation at work: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 5(1), 90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Han, T. S., Chiang, H. H., & Chang, A. (2010). Employee participation in decision making, psychological ownership and knowledge sharing: Mediating role of organizational commitment in Taiwanese high-tech organizations. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(12), 22182233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hassi, A. (2019). Empowering leadership and management innovation in the hospitality industry context. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(4), 17851800.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation and conditional process analysis: A regression based approach (2nd Ed.). New York: Guilford Publications.Google Scholar
Herman, H. M., & Chiu, W. C. (2014). Transformational leadership and job performance: A social identity perspective. Journal of Business Research, 67(1), 28272835.Google Scholar
Hogg, M. A., & Terry, D. J. (2000). Social identity and self-categorization processes in organizational contexts. The Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 121140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hornsby, J. S., Kuratko, D. F., Shepherd, D. A., & Bott, J. P. (2009). Managers’ corporate entrepreneurial actions: Examining perception and position. Journal of Business Venturing, 24(3), 236247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Janssen, O. (2000). Job demands, perceptions of effort-reward fairness and innovative work behaviour. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73(3), 287302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jia, J., Yan, J., Jahanshahi, A. A., Lin, W., & Bhattacharjee, A. (2020). What makes employees more proactive? Roles of job embeddedness, the perceived strength of the HRM system and empowering leadership. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 58(1), 107127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, S., & Wright, P. M. (2011). Putting strategic human resource management in context: A contextualized model of high commitment work systems and its implications in China. Management and Organization Review, 7(1), 153174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, A. W., Fowler, S. W., & Zeithaml, C. P. (2001). Managing organizational competencies for competitive advantage: The middle-management edge. Academy of Management Perspectives, 15(2), 95106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kör, B., Wakkee, I., & van der Sijde, P. (2021). How to promote managers’ innovative behavior at work: Individual factors and perceptions. Technovation, 99, 102127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lam, L. W., & Liu, Y. (2014). The identity-based explanation of affective commitment. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29(3), 321340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lau, D. C., & Liden, R. C. (2008). Antecedents of coworker trust: Leaders’ blessings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(5), 1130.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, E. S., Park, T. Y., & Koo, B. (2015). Identifying organizational identification as a basis for attitudes and behaviors: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 141(5), 1049.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leyer, M., Hirzel, A. K., & Mooremann, J. (2020). Its mine, I decide what to change: The role of psychological ownership in employees process innovation behaviour. International Journal of Innovation Management, 25(1), 215231.Google Scholar
Liu, F., Chow, I. H. S., Zhang, J. C., & Huang, M. (2019). Organizational innovation climate and individual innovative behavior: Exploring the moderating effects of psychological ownership and psychological empowerment. Review of Managerial Science, 13(4), 771789.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lukes, M., & Stephan, U. (2017). Measuring employee innovation. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 23(1), 136158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mayhew, M. G., Ashkanasy, N. M., Bramble, T., & Gardner, J. (2007). A study of the antecedents and consequences of psychological ownership in organizational settings. The Journal of Social Psychology, 147(5), 477500.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McClean, E., & Collins, C. J. (2011). High-commitment HR practices, employee effort, and firm performance: Investigating the effects of HR practices across employee groups within professional services firms. Human Resource Management, 50(3), 341363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Messmann, G., & Mulder, R. H. (2012). Development of a measurement instrument for innovative work behavior as a dynamic and context-bound construct. Human Resource Development International, 15(1), 4359.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1(1), 6189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, J. P., Allen, N. J., & Smith, C. A. (1993). Commitment to organizations and occupations: Extension and test of a three-component conceptualization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(4), 538551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, J. P., Becker, T. E., & Vandenberghe, C. (2004). Employee commitment and motivation: A conceptual analysis and integrative model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(6), 991.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, J. P., & Herscovitch, L. (2001). Commitment in the workplace: Toward a general model. Human Resource Management Review, 11(3), 299326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Montani, F., Battistelli, A., & Odoardi, C. (2017). Proactive goal generation and innovative work behavior: The moderating role of affective commitment, production ownership and leader support for innovation. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 51(2), 107127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mustafa, M., Coetzer, A., Ramos, H. M., & Fuhrer, J. (2021a). Exploring the effects of small- and medium-sized enterprise employees’ job satisfaction on their innovative work behaviours: The moderating effects of personality. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 8(2), 228250. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-07-2020-0133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mustafa, M. J., Mansilla, O., & Gibson, M. T. (2021b). Examining when hotel middle-managers’ psychological ownership influences their commitment and job satisfaction. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 20(2). 198221. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332845.2021.1872236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mustafa, M., Martin, L., & Hughes, M. (2016). Psychological ownership, job satisfaction, and middle manager entrepreneurial behaviour. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 23(3), 272287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Odoardi, C., Battistelli, A., Montani, F., & Peiró, J. M. (2019). Affective commitment, participative leadership, and employee innovation: A multilevel investigation. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 35(2), 103113.Google Scholar
Park, H. H., Zhou, Y., & Choi, M. (2018). When are individuals innovative? Journal of Personnel Psychology, 17(1), 1111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peng, H., & Pierce, J. (2015). Job-and organization-based psychological ownership: Relationship and outcomes. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 30(2), 151168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pierce, J. L., Jussila, I., & Cummings, A. (2009). Psychological ownership within the job design context: Revision of the job characteristics model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(4), 477496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pierce, J. L., Kostova, T., & Dirks, K. T. (2001). Toward a theory of psychological ownership in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 298310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pierce, J. L., Kostova, T., & Dirks, K. T. (2003). The state of psychological ownership: Integrating and extending a century of research. Review of general psychology, 7(1), 84107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramos, H. M., Man, T. W. Y., Mustafa, M., & Ng, Z. Z. (2014). Psychological ownership in small family firms: Family and non-family employees’ work attitudes and behaviours. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 5(3), 300311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ribeiro, N., Duarte, A. P., Filipe, R., & Torres de Oliveira, R. (2020). How authentic leadership promotes individual creativity: The mediating role of affective commitment. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 27(2), 189202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, S. G., & Bruce, R. A. (1994). Determinants of innovative behavior: A path model of individual innovation in the workplace. Academy of Management Journal, 37(3), 580607.Google Scholar
Seo, M. G., Bartunek, J. M., & Barrett, L. F. (2010). The role of affective experience in work motivation: Test of a conceptual model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(7), 951968.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Škerlavaj, M., Černe, M., & Dysvik, A. (2014). I get by with a little help from my supervisor: Creative-idea generation, idea implementation, and perceived supervisor support. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(5), 9871000.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smidts, A., Pruyn, A. T. H., & Van Riel, C. B. (2001). The impact of employee communication and perceived external prestige on organizational identification. Academy of Management Journal, 44(5), 10511062.Google Scholar
Stinglhamber, F., Marique, G., Caesens, G., Desmette, D., Hansez, I., Hanin, D., & Bertrand, F. (2015). Employees’ organizational identification and affective organizational commitment: An integrative approach. PLoS ONE, 10(4), e0123955.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tajfel, H. (1982). Social psychology of intergroup relations. Annual Review of Psychology, 33(1), 139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1985). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In Worchel, S. & Austin, W. G. (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 724). Chicago, IL: Nelson Hall.Google Scholar
Tian, K., & Belk, R. W. (2005). Extended self and possessions in the workplace. Journal of Consumer Research, 32(2), 297310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tyler, T. R., & Blader, S. L. (2003). The group engagement model: Procedural justice, social identity, and cooperative behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7(4), 349361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vandewalle, D., Van Dyne, L., & Kostova, T. (1995). Psychological ownership: An empirical examination of its consequences. Group & Organization Management, 20(2), 210226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Dyne, L., & Pierce, J. L. (2004). Psychological ownership and feelings of possession: Three field studies predicting employee attitudes and organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(4), 439459.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, L., Law, K. S., Zhang, M. J., Li, Y. N., & Liang, Y. (2019). It’s mine! Psychological ownership of one’s job explains positive and negative workplace outcomes of job engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(2), 229246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wisse, B., Barelds, D. P., & Rietzschel, E. F. (2015). How innovative is your employee? The role of employee and supervisor Dark Triad personality traits in supervisor perceptions of employee innovative behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 82, 158162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woods, S., Mustafa, M., Anderson, N. R., & Sayer, B. (2018). Innovative work behavior and personality traits: Examining the moderating effects of organizational tenure. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 33(1), 2942.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, Y., Ma, Z., & Wang, M. S. (2018). Developing new capability: Middle managers’ role in corporate entrepreneurship. European Business Review, 30(4), 470493.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xerri, M. J., & Brunetto, Y. (2011). The impact of the perceived usefulness of workplace social networks upon the innovative behaviour of SME employees: A social capital perspective. International Journal of Innovation Management, 15(05), 959987.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xerri, M. J., & Brunetto, Y. (2013). Fostering innovative behaviour: The importance of employee commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(16), 31633177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yuan, F., & Woodman, R. W. (2010). Innovative behavior in the workplace: The role of performance and image outcome expectations. Academy of Management Journal, 53(2), 323342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Y., Liu, G., Zhang, L., Xu, S., & Cheung, M. W. L. (2021). Psychological ownership: A meta-analysis and comparison of multiple forms of attachment in the workplace. Journal of Management, 47(3), 745770.CrossRefGoogle Scholar