Are embedded employees active or passive? The roles of learning goal orientation and preferences for wide task boundaries and job mobility in the embeddedness–voice link

Abstract

Does embedding employees in their organizations turn them into active organizational members who are increasingly interested in improvement, or passive members who increasingly lose interest in improvement? Addressing this embeddedness dilemma, this study aims to examine why and when perceived organizational embeddedness relates to the psychological orientation toward improvement that in turn relates to such improvement‐oriented behavior as voice. First, based on the future time perspective, we posit that increasingly embedded employees anticipate that their futures will be intertwined with that of their organizations, thereby motivating them to demonstrate increased learning goal orientation, which in turn promotes voice behavior. Second, this mediating relationship is less likely to occur for those who experience stronger increases in preferences for wide task boundaries and preferences for job mobility. Such preferences create a short‐term future time perspective in an employment relationship that is not aligned with the long‐term future time perspective inherent in increased embeddedness. Longitudinal data collected from 267 Italian employees over an eight‐month period provide empirical support for the proposed moderated mediation relationships.

The Inhibitory Effect of Perceived Organizational Politics on Employee Voice Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model

“…In contrast, the perception of weak political behavior may enhance relationships, fit, and sacrifice because the organization is fair and employees trust and respect each other. In turn, higher organizational embeddedness stimulates employees to speak out (promotively and prohibitively), which is consistent with prior empirical studies (Ng and Feldman, 2013;Ng and Lucianetti, 2018;Tan et al, 2019). Accordingly, we propose the following hypothesis: Hypothesis 3: POP will be indirectly and negatively associated with promotive voice behavior (Hypothesis 3a) and prohibitive voice behavior (Hypothesis 3b) through organizational embeddedness.…”

“…Our research provides important evidence that POP, as a typical stress source, blocks many resources related to organizational embeddedness (e.g., relationships with others in the organization), thus inhibiting its development; in turn, this indirectly and negatively impacts promotive and prohibitive voice behaviors. As a proximal antecedent, organizational embeddedness motivates more employee voice behavior, which aligns with several prior studies (Ng and Feldman, 2013;Ng and Lucianetti, 2018;Tan et al, 2019). Previous studies have treated organizational embeddedness as an intermediary variable to convey the influence of leadership and positive context on performance and turnover (Ghosh et al, 2017;Jolly and Self, 2020;Siddique et al, 2020;Yang et al, 2020;Yu et al, 2020).…”

“…First, in line with previous voice research (Ng and Lucianetti, 2018;Li et al, 2020), we controlled for basic demographic variables, including gender, age, and organizational tenure. Second, given that (1) we collected data in the Chinese context and cultural factors may influence research conclusions, and ( 2) some studies have indicated that zhongyong-a value orientation, which advocates the adoption of a neutral and balance way on the basis of overall cognition to achieve the harmony between the individual and the environment (Du et al, 2014)-is associated with voice behavior (Duan and Ling, 2011;Qu et al, 2018), we controlled for zhongyong, which many scholars consider to be a typical Chinese cultural characteristic (Yang et al, 2016;Zhou et al, 2019).…”

Employee perceptions of corporate social responsibility: Effects on pride, embeddedness, and turnover

“…This mechanism is analogous to “facilitative action” (Cuddy, Fiske, & Glick, , p. 633) as a result of the social emotions experienced (i.e., pride due to strengthened perceptions of CSR). More generally, OE is an intense psychological bond that attaches employees to their employers, becoming a stabilizing force that motivates an employee to hold onto the current job (Ng, ; Ng & Lucianetti, ). Crossley et al.…”

Understanding organizational embeddedness and career success: Who and what you know

“…From the contest mobility perspective, we expect job-related human capital development to be another mechanism that relays OE's positive relationship with career success in the organization. In the first instance, embedded employees will be motivated to build their nontransferable skills as a means to safeguard their employment and opportunities for advancement within the organization, especially since their desire to stay within the organization means advancement through the external labor market is not a viable option (Ng & Feldman, 2014;Ng & Lucianetti, 2018). In addition, high-fitting employees should be better able to undertake human capital building activities (i.e., job rotations, stretch assignments) given their superior knowledge of the organization and identification with its values and mission (e.g., Cable & DeRue, 2002;Erdogan & Bauer, 2005;Sacks & Ashforth, 1997).…”