Psychological Ownership,Territorial Behavior,and Being Perceived as a Team Contributor: The Critical Role of Trust in the Work Environment

In this field study, we develop and test a theory regarding the role of trust in the work environment as a critical condition that determines the relationship between psychological ownership, territoriality, and being perceived as a team contributor. We argue that, dependent upon the context of trust in the work environment, psychological ownership may lead to territorial behaviors of claiming and anticipatory defending and that, dependent upon the context of trust, territorial behavior may lead coworkers to negatively judge the territorial employee as less of a team contributor. A sample of working adults reported on their psychological ownership and territorial behavior toward an important object at work, and a coworker of each provided evaluations on the level of trust in the work environment and rated the focal individual's contributions to the team. Findings suggest that a work environment of trust is a “double‐edged sword”: On the one hand, a high trust environment reduces the territorial behavior associated with psychological ownership; on the other hand, when territorial behavior does occur in high trust environments, coworkers rate the territorial employee's contributions to the team significantly lower. We discuss the nature and management of territorial behavior in light of these findings.     

The Usefulness of Tenacity in Spurring Problem-Focused Voice: The Moderating Roles of Workplace Adversity

Purpose

Drawing from conservation of resources theory and affective events theory, this article examines the hitherto unexplored relationship between employees’ tenacity levels and problem-focused voice behavior, as well as how this relationship may be augmented when employees encounter adversity in relationships with peers or in the organizational climate in general.

Design/Methodology/Approach

The study draws on quantitative data collected through a survey administered to employees and their supervisors in a large manufacturing organization.

Findings

Tenacity increases the likelihood of speaking up about problem areas, and this relationship is strongest when peer relationships are characterized by low levels of goal congruence and trust (relational adversity) or when the organization does not support change (organizational adversity). The augmenting effect of organizational adversity on the usefulness of tenacity is particularly salient when it combines with high relational adversity, which underscores the critical role of tenacity for spurring problem-focused voice behavior when employees negatively appraise different facets of their work environment simultaneously.

Implications

The results inform organizations that the allocation of personal energy to reporting organizational problems is perceived as particularly useful by employees when they encounter significant adversity in their work environments.

Originality/Value

This study extends research on voice behavior by providing a better understanding of the likelihood that employees speak up about problem areas, according to their levels of tenacity, and explicating when this influence of tenacity tends to be more prominent.

     

心理所有权对员工建言行为的影响：一个自我维持模型

作为一种积极的心理资源,心理所有权一直以来颇受中国组织中的员工所重视。本研究以社会交换理论为基础,建立了中国情境下心理所有权的自我维持模型。以一家大型事业单位的467名员工以及103名领导者为样本,本文采用时间滞后设计检验了心理所有权、内部人地位感知、积极过往取向和员工建言行为之间关系的理论模型。研究结果表明,员工感知的内部人地位和心理所有权（T2）能够在心理所有权（T1）与建言行为之间起到中介作用,同时积极过往取向能够调节员工的心理所有权与感知内部人地位之间的关系。本文最后探讨了研究发现的理论和实践意义,以及本研究的优势、存在的不足和未来的研究方向。     

Do performance approach‐oriented individuals generate creative ideas? The roles of outcome instrumentality and task persistence

The literature is inconclusive about the positive and negative effects of performance approach goal orientation (PAGO) (i.e., a focus on demonstrating high performance and outperforming others) on creativity. To address this issue, this study examines when and how PAGO stimulates or hinders employee creativity. Drawing on trait activation theory and a self‐regulatory perspective, we propose that outcome instrumentality (i.e., the perception that one will receive desired organizational outcomes when performing well) moderates the effects of PAGO on task persistence bidirectionally, which, in turn, facilitates or hinders employee creativity. Results based on a two‐wave, multi‐source field survey provided strong support for our hypotheses. We found that the relationship between PAGO and task persistence was positive when outcome instrumentality was high but became negative when outcome instrumentality was low. Moreover, we found a moderated mediation effect, such that the indirect effect of PAGO on creativity through task persistence was positive when outcome instrumentality was high but negative when outcome instrumentality was low. These findings extend the PAGO literature by elucidating the goodness and badness of PAGO and provide practical implications on how to manage performance approach‐oriented employees to capitalize on their creative potentials and minimize the possible detrimental effects of PAGO on creativity.     

Preventing School Bullying: Investigation of the Link between Anti‐Bullying Strategies,Prevention Ownership,Prevention Climate,and Prevention Leadership

School bullying has been a major health and safety concern for teachers and students, which calls for effective strategies to address the issue. In this study, we explored individual and organisational factors that improve the effects of teachers’ use of anti‐bullying strategies in reducing or preventing student bullying. Specifically, we examined the moderating role of teachers’ psychological ownership of their school's anti‐bullying system in the relationship between teacher‐reported use of anti‐bullying strategies and student‐reported bullying incidents. We also investigated how principals’ bullying prevention leadership, rated by a group of directors who are the immediate subordinates of these principals, inspires teachers’ psychological ownership of their school's anti‐bullying system through building teachers’ shared perceptions of a bullying prevention climate. Results of multilevel analyses of multisource data from 2,123 teachers, 407 directors, and 15,967 students in 110 junior and senior high schools indicated that the impact of teacher‐reported use of anti‐bullying strategies on student‐reported bullying incidents was strengthened when teachers have a high level of psychological ownership of their school's anti‐bullying system. Further, principals’ bullying prevention leadership was significantly positively related to teachers’ psychological ownership of their school's anti‐bullying system through teachers’ shared perceptions of a bullying prevention climate.     

情绪智力对初中生心理适应的影响：一项追踪研究

为考察情绪智力对初中生心理适应的影响及人际素质与逆境信念的中介作用,对466名12～16岁的初中生进行为期半年的三次追踪调查。结果显示：（1）情绪智力、人际素质、逆境信念和心理适应间存在同时性和继时性正相关;（2）情绪智力正向预测初中生心理适应;（3）人际素质、逆境信念在情绪智力与初中生心理适应间起链式中介作用。追踪研究结果表明,在延时条件下,情绪智力能够依次通过人际素质、逆境信念来进一步预测初中生心理适应。     

授权赋能领导行为与组织公民行为:员工的领导认同感和组织心理所有权的作用

认同感和控制感出发,研究授权赋能领导行为对员工组织公民行为的作用机制和边界条件。通过问卷调查,搜集了162名主管及其460名直接下属的数据。研究结果表明,授权赋能领导行为对员工对主管的领导认同感有积极影响作用;领导认同感在授权赋能领导行为与员工组织公民行为之间起到中介作用;员工对组织的心理所有权对领导认同感的中介效应起到调节作用。     

Affective consequences of mere ownership: The name letter effect in twelve European languages

The hypothesis is tested that mere ownership of an object is a sufficient condition to enhance its likelihood to become one of the most attractive items of the entire set of similar objects. Evidence is presented that isolated visual letter stimuli belonging to one's own name are more often ranked among the six most preferred letters of the entire alphabet than identical not-own name letters. Across 12 different European languages, an (own) name letter effect was found for (initial and/or not-initial) letters belonging to own first and/or family name. The fundamental theoretical relevance of the effect is outlined as well as its heuristic value for research on individual versus collective ownership and on affective asymmetry. A cross-lingual analysis of the six least preferred letters-while also confirming the mere ownership hypothesis-calls for a critical reformulation of Zajonc's mere exposure theory.     

Self-efficacy's influence on persistence on a physical task: Moderating effect of performance feedback ambiguity

ObjectivesThe present investigation was designed to test the predictions of a control theory based view of self-regulation on the complex effects of self-efficacy on persistence. Specifically, self-efficacy was predicted to have a positive effect on persistence given unambiguous feedback, but a weak, negative effect given ambiguous feedback. Moreover, the research was designed to replicate an influential set of studies on self-efficacy.DesignA 2 (self-efficacy: low, high) × 2 (feedback ambiguity: low, high) between-groups ANOVA was conducted to examine the interaction between self-efficacy and feedback ambiguity in two trials of an isometric hand-grip competitive endurance task.MethodParticipants (87 females and 67 males) competed on a hand-grip strength task against confederates who claimed to have overworked their hand (high manipulated self-efficacy) or to be tennis players (low manipulated self-efficacy). The competition occurred either in the presence (high feedback ambiguity) or absence (low feedback ambiguity) of a physical barrier between the individuals. Persistence was how long individuals could grip at 50% of their maximum voluntary contraction.ResultsThe interaction was significant and in the predicted direction. Self-efficacy was also found to negatively relate to self-reported effort regardless of condition.ConclusionsThe results from the current study confirm that self-efficacy can foster persistence when one is aware of one's current state of performance. However, consistent with a control theory view of self-regulation, self-efficacy was unrelated to persistence when feedback was ambiguous. The results have implications for understanding the role of self-efficacy in sports and highlight the importance of replications with extensions.     

Not by Labor Alone: Considerations for Value Influence Use of the Labor Rule in Ownership Transfers

People often assign ownership to the person who has invested labor into making an object (labor rule). However, labor usually improves objects and increases their value, and it has not been investigated whether these considerations underlie people's use of the labor rule. We presented participants with third‐party ownership conflicts between an owner of materials and an artist who used the materials for some artwork. Experiment 1 revealed that participants were more likely to transfer ownership to the artist for low‐value materials than for high‐value materials, and Experiment 2 showed that this effect was further moderated by the amount of effort the artist had invested. A third experiment confirmed that participants transferred ownership more often if the artist's labor had increased the value of the materials than when it had added no value. These findings suggest that considerations for value underlie ownership transfers following the investment of labor.     

Can Lonely People Behave Morally? The Joint Influence of Loneliness and Empathy on Moral Identity

We examine how loneliness moderates the effect of empathy on moral identity: the extent to which being a moral person is important to an individual's identity. Results of four studies show that only lonely people have increased moral identity when they have high (vs. low) empathy; empathy does not reliably increase moral identity for nonlonely people. We demonstrate these effects with psychological measures of moral identity as well as with downstream moral behaviors in various consumer settings. Our findings are consistent with the motivation theory of loneliness and empathy: Lonely people are capable, but are not motivated to empathize.     

Determinants of Mediator Behavior: A Test of the Strategic Choice Model1

The present study simulated an organizational dispute to test 12 hypotheses about mediator behavior that were derived from the strategic choice model of mediation. This model is based on the assumption that mediators have four basic strategies to resolve disputes: (a) integrate, which involves a search for mutually acceptable outcomes; (b) press, which involves lowering one or both parties' aspirations; (c) compensate, which involves offering positive benefits in exchange for concessions; and (d) inaction, which involves letting the parties handle the dispute by themselves. The major proposition of the model is that two factors, the mediator's assessment of the likelihood of a mutually acceptable agreement and the mediator's concern for the parties' aspirations, interact to predict mediator behavior. Nine of the 12 hypotheses derived from the model were supported. Pressing by mediators occurred most when mediators had a low estimate of the likelihood of agreement in combination with a low concern for the parties' aspirations. Compensating occurred most when mediators had a low estimate of the likelihood of agreement in combination with a high concern for the parties' aspirations. Inaction occurred most when the mediators' estimate of the likelihood of agreement was high and their concern for the parties' aspirations was low. Integrating occurred most when the mediators had a high concern for the parties' aspirations.     

The role of ordinary conversation and shared activity in the main effect between perceived support and affect

People with high perceived support have better mental health, but how this occurs is not well understood. We tested hypotheses from relational regulation theory that the main effect between perceived support and affect primarily reflects ordinary conversation and shared activity. In two studies (n = 193; n = 149), students rated three important network members and psychological reactions to each. In a third study (n = 72) strangers shared an activity in a round‐robin design. Affect was strongly determined by with who participants were interacting or thinking about. Perceived support, ordinary conversation, and shared activity were strongly linked, and each was related to high positive affect, low negative affect, perceived similarity, and few negative thoughts. Perceived support's link to affect emerged when strangers shared a brief activity. Thus, much of perceived support's main effect with affect could be explained as resulting from ordinary conversation and shared activity.     

Clinical Considerations in Using Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Approaches With Diverse Populations: Addressing Challenges in Service Delivery in Diverse Community Settings

Mindfulness- and acceptance-based strategies effectively alter clients' relationships with their internal experiences, which may have been previously restricted, avoided, or even beyond clients' awareness. Even though the scientific exploration of the psychological benefits of mindfulness in the treatment literature continues to be in its infancy, it is important to uphold best practices by exploring the applications of these therapeutic approaches in diverse community populations. In this article, we discuss recommendations for addressing challenges that have arisen while delivering mindfulness- and acceptance-based behavioral therapies to consumers of mental health services from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds (e.g., marginalized racial, religious, and socioeconomic groups). Specific case examples illustrate the challenges of promoting acceptance in the face of adversity, the acceptability of mindfulness, attending to differences in the therapist and client perspectives, and promoting the pursuit of values in the face of adversity. Clinical recommendations and suggestions for dissemination of these approaches to clinicians working with racially and ethnically diverse, underserved populations are discussed.     

组织心理所有权的前因与后果：基于“人-境互动”的视角

采用问卷调查法, 以广东地区电信企业的216名员工为研究对象, 考察了组织心理所有权的影响因素与影响效果。研究结果表明：(1)威权领导与员工的组织心理所有权呈显著负相关, 并且对员工集体主义倾向与其组织心理所有权之间的关系具有显著的调节作用：在领导者高威权作风的情况下, 集体主义倾向与组织心理所有权之间并无显著相关性; 在领导者低威权作风的情况下, 集体主义倾向与组织心理所有权之间存在显著正相关。(2)上下级关系显著调节员工的组织心理所有权与其沉默行为之间的关系。当上下级关系较强时, 组织心理所有权与沉默行为之间存在显著负相关; 当上下级关系较弱时, 组织心理所有权与沉默行为之间并无显著相关性。     

Mixed reasons,missed givings: The costs of blending egoistic and altruistic reasons in donation requests

Do people give more when benefits to others and oneself are emphasized? We propose that mixing egoistic and altruistic reasons reduces the likelihood of giving by increasing individuals' awareness that a persuasion attempt is occurring, which elicits psychological reactance. In Experiment 1, university alumni were less likely to give money to their alma mater when an electronic donation request emphasized both egoistic and altruistic reasons, compared to either reason alone. In Experiment 2, undergraduates reported lower giving intentions when a donation request emphasized an altruistic and an egoistic reason, compared to either altruistic or egoistic reasons alone. In Experiment 3, undergraduates reported lower intentions to give to the Make-A-Wish Foundation when the donation request featured both egoistic and altruistic reasons; this effect was mediated in two stages by increased persuasion awareness and heightened psychological reactance. This research sheds light on when messages that purport to align self-interest and other-interest can backfire.     

Overcoming negative reactions of nonbeneficiaries to employment equity: the effect of participation in policy formulation

In 2 experimental studies, we examined a way to overcome nonbeneficiaries' resistance to employment equity (EE) policies-participation in formulating the policy. We operationalized participation in terms of instrumental versus noninstrumental voice and proposed that nonbeneficiaries would be more likely to support an EE policy when allowed instrumental participation in the policy's development. Further, we proposed psychological ownership as the mediating mechanism underlying the effects of instrumental participation. Study 1 examined participation effects for a gender-based EE policy and Study 2 for a race-based EE policy. As predicted, we found that nonbeneficiaries (men in Study 1; Whites in Study 2) in the instrumental participation condition expressed greater behavioral intentions to promote the policy (Studies 1 and 2) and were more likely to engage in a behavior promoting the policy (Study 2). We also found support for psychological ownership as the underlying mediating mechanism in both studies. Contributions to theory and practice are discussed.     

Making Decisions in Foreign Languages: Weaker Senses of Ownership Attenuate the Endowment Effect

Although the number of bilingual consumers is expanding, research on the impact of language on consumer decision making is scarce. The current research examines the endowment effect, which is a fundamental consumer decision‐making regularity, under native versus foreign language processing. I show that the endowment effect, which refers to higher valuation of a given product by sellers than buyers, is attenuated when sellers and buyers process information in a foreign language due to a decrease in sellers’ valuation of the product. I further document empirical evidence for the underlying mechanism of this finding. Thinking in a foreign language diminishes the impact of affective reactions on sellers’ judgment, which results in lowered sense of psychological ownership. This lowered sense of psychological ownership significantly decreases sellers’ valuation to a level comparable to the valuation of buyers. The implications of these results for theory and practice, and avenues for future research are discussed.     

Profiles of adversity and resilience resources: A latent class analysis of two samples

Adversities refer to events that are characterized by perceived or actual threat to human functioning. Often considered deleterious for health and well-being, recent work supports an alternative picture of the effects of adversity on human functioning, such that a moderate amount of adversity – when compared with none or high levels – can be beneficial. We extend this body of work in the current study by considering the breadth or type of adversities experienced simultaneously (referred to as polyadversity), with a focus on individual profiles of lifetime adversities. Latent class analysis was employed to explore different configurations of lifetime adversity experiences in two independent samples and examine how these latent classes differed with regard to resilience resources (i.e., optimism, hope, self-efficacy, and bounce-back ability). University students (N = 348) and members from the broader community (N = 1,506) completed measures of lifetime adversity exposure and resilience resources. Three polyadversity classes were revealed in each sample, with both producing a high and a low polyadversity class. The third class differed between samples; in the student sample, this class represented experiences of vicarious adversity, whereas in the community sample, it represented moderate levels of exposure to adversity. Support for the adaptive nature of a moderate amount of adversity exposure was found in the community sample but not in the student sample. This study produces initial evidence of how lifetime adversity experiences group together and how class membership is related to resilience resources.