Xingshan Zheng

Purpose: Expressing gratitude is a common organizational practice through which leaders publicly acknowledge employees' contributions. Prior research has mostly focused on its positive effects, particularly how witnessing such expressions strengthens observers' relational bonds and prosocial behavior. Yet, existing studies have overlooked the possibility that coworker-targeted leader gratitude expressions can threaten witnesses' sense of self-completeness and trigger negative responses. Drawing on symbolic self-completion theory, this study examines how such an expression elicits witnesses' relative deprivation. We further investigate how this reaction leads to self-symbolizing behaviors and how the boundary condition may mitigate these effects. Design/methodology/approach: We tested the model in two studies: a 3-wave multisource survey (N = 320) and a scenario-based experiment (N = 246). Analyses included path analysis and a Johnson–Neyman plot with bootstrapped tests of conditional indirect effects. Findings: Coworker-targeted leader gratitude expression was positively related to witnesses' relative deprivation, which predicted greater expediency and self-promotion. Mediation analyses confirmed that relative deprivation transmitted this effect to both outcomes. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that the indirect effect was weaker at higher levels of leader–member exchange (LMX). Originality/value: This study identifies the negative witness effects of observing leaders' gratitude toward coworkers by showing that such expressions can threaten witnesses' self-completeness. It uncovers a compensatory process in which witnesses engage in expediency and self-promotion to restore self-completeness. It also identifies LMX as a key boundary condition that mitigates these indirect effects.

Purpose: Drawing on the self-concept-based theory, this study aims to consider subordinate moqi as a source of forming self-concept to develop a conceptual model to examine the relationships between subordinate moqi and employee creativity, including self-efficacy as a mediator and face consciousness as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was conducted and 188 subordinate-supervisor paired samples were collected in China. This paper applied the multiple linear regression method to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings: Results show that subordinate moqi is positively related to employee creativity, and employee self-efficacy mediates the positive relationship between subordinate moqi and employee creativity. Additionally, face consciousness moderates the positive effect of self-efficacy on employee creativity and the indirect effect of subordinate moqi on employee creativity via employee self-efficacy. Practical implications: These findings suggest that employees, managers and organizations should foster subordinate moqi, especially for the managers whose subordinates have low-level creativity. Moreover, fostering subordinate moqi can enhancing employee self-efficacy and further promote employee creativity. Additionally, our findings show the moderating role of face consciousness. That is, face consciousness can be regarded as a management tool to inspire employees’ intrinsic motivation to achieve goal tasks. Especially in the Chinese context, the face culture is quite prominent. Originality/value: The findings provide empirical evidence on how and when subordinate moqi promote employee creativity. This study enriches our understanding of subordinate moqi.

Purpose: Integrating the reciprocity and equity lenses, this study explores the curvilinear relationship between leader humility and employee organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) by introducing psychological entitlement and perspective taking, and constructing a moderated mediation curvilinear model aiming to provide a more comprehensive understanding of why and how leader humility affects OCBs.Design/methodology/approach: Using multisource, three-wave data collected from 261 employees and 55 supervisors in China, we adopted multi-level modeling analysis to test the moderated mediation curvilinear model that links leader humility to OCBs.Findings: We found a curvilinear relationship between leader humility and psychological entitlement, and psychological entitlement mediated the curvilinear indirect relationship between leader humility and OCBs. Furthermore, employees' perspective taking buffered this curvilinear indirect effect.Originality/value: Following social exchange theory and prior research discussing the potential benefits and drawbacks of leader humility, this study developed and tested a moderated mediation curvilinear model of the relationship between leader humility and OCBs. Our study thus provides a more balanced and dialectical perspective on understanding the effects of leader humility and enriching the leadership process model. This study also offers actionable strategies for leaders and organizations to optimize the benefits of humble leadership.

Drawing on self-regulation theory, we developed and tested a model to investigate the positive correlation between socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) and employee workplace green behavior (WGB). We tested and found support for our theoretical model using multi-wave studies within one organization and across multiple organizations. Based on a sample of 261 employees from a food chain company (Study 1) and 259 employees from 43 organizations (Study 2), we identified a direct relationship between SRHRM and employee WGB and an indirect relationship mediated by learning goal orientation and moral identity. Additionally, coworker support moderated the effects of SRHRM on learning goal orientation and moral identity. These conclusions provide a new entry point for exploring why SRHRM affects employee WGB.

Purpose: Building on the person–supervisor fit theory, this paper examines how and when leader–follower moqi congruence positively impacts task performance.Design/methodology/approach: With data collected from 174 leader–follower dyads in 41 project teams in Shanghai, China, the authors use polynomial regression and response surface plots to test the hypotheses on the effects of leader–follower moqi congruence.Findings: Leader–follower moqi congruence positively affects followers' task performance, mediated by coordination. Task coordination was of higher quality when the congruence is achieved at a high level of moqi than at a low level. The effect of leader–follower moqi congruence on task performance (mediated by coordination) was weaker when leader-member exchange was low than when it was high.Originality/value: This study identifies why leader–follower moqi can improve coordination and task performance. It extends person–supervisor fit theory and is an enhancement for moqi research and practice.

Fostering subordinate moqi is a significant method to improve the cooperating quality and promote positive outcomes. However, little is known about the influencing factors and mechanisms of subordinate moqi. To address this issue and explore the influencing factors of subordinate moqi, we draw on self-categorization theory to develop a mediation model to examine whether and how deep-level similarity affects subordinate moqi, casting the leader-member exchange (LMX) as a mediator. A two-wave online survey was conducted and 316 data was collected. A Structure Equation Modeling analysis was used to test all hypotheses with Mplus 7. Results showed that the deep-level similarity could positively predict subordinate moqi and LMX, respectively. Additionally, LMX was a significant predictor of subordinate moqi as well as it mediated the positive relationships between deep-level similarity and subordinate moqi. These findings expand our understanding of the antecedents of subordinate moqi. It is suggested that developing subordinates’ deep-level similarity with supervisors and LMX relationships are instrumental in cultivating subordinate moqi which promote positive outcomes. Organizations should integrate effective management programs into managerial strategies to enhance deep-level similarity and LMX, in turn, fosters subordinate moqi.

Although knowledge-sharing, an important facet of knowledge management, has been encouraged for the sustainable development of organizations, this kind of behavior is still not prevalent among group members. To enrich the literature and contribute to its practical usage, this research proposed a model based on the fit theory to examine the roles of perceived insider status (PIS) and power distance orientation in subordinates’ Moqi with supervisors (SMS) and knowledge-sharing. Survey data from eight firms in China contained 196 samples and was analyzed by MPLUS software to justify the hypotheses. The results showed that: first, SMS predicted knowledge-sharing and perceived insider status; second, perceived insider status positively mediated the relationship between SMS and knowledge-sharing; third, power distance orientation not only positively moderated the relationship between SMS and perceived insider status, but also positively moderated the relationship between SMS and knowledge-sharing. This study enriched the literature on the antecedents of knowledge-sharing and application of SMS. Additionally, this study proposes a few suggestions to practitioners and researchers for establishing sustainable organizations.

Innovation, as the key concern of sustainable human resource management, is one of the motivators of the sustainable development of organizations. However, past literature believes that innovation may be hindered by the organizational political climate. Based on the self-determination theory, this study proposes a new perspective to transfer the effect of this climate on innovation through the mediating role of cynicism and the moderating role of personal trait regulatory focus. Findings from 341 seven-point Likert survey questionnaires of employees in a Chinese automobile enterprise revealed that: first, the organizational political climate (expect interpersonal relationships) negatively predicted radical creativity and incremental creativity; second, organizational cynicism mediates the negative relationship between the organizational political climate and radical creativity and incremental creativity; third, the mediating effect of the organizational cynicism relationship between the organizational political climate and dualistic creativity could be affected by the personal trait regulatory focus. This study fills the gap in the relationship between organizational political climate and innovation. Additionally, this study proposes several suggestions for the practitioners and further research.