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There has been an argument over whether customer orientation enhances innovation; moreover, the customer orientation/innovation mechanism remains unclear. This study investigated how customer orientation influences innovativeness through three types of conflict using a sample of 193 sales departments in Japanese firms. A structural equation modeling revealed that (1) customer orientation was positively related to task conflict and negatively related to process conflict, and that (2) task conflict was positively related to innovativeness, while process and relationship conflict was negatively related to innovativeness. The results suggest that customer orientation influences innovativeness by enhancing positive conflict and reducing negative conflict

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the mechanism by which learning goal orientation (LGO) promotes work engagement through job crafting (seeking challenges). Design/methodology/approach -A moderated mediation model was tested using survey data from 266 public health nurses and hospital nurses in Japan. Findings -The results indicated that job crafting partially mediated the relationship between LGO and work engagement, and that the mediation effect was stronger when reflection was high (vs middle and low). Research limitations/implications -Although common method bias and validity of measurement were evaluated in this paper, the survey data were cross-sectional. Practical implications -The results suggest that selecting people with a stronger sense of LGO may be a useful strategy for promoting job crafting and work engagement in an organization. Additionally, organizations should give employees opportunities to reflect on their jobs and to craft them into more challenging ones in the workplace. Originality/value -Although little is known about mechanisms by which LGO promotes work engagement, this study found that job crafting and reflection play important roles in linking LGO and work engagement.

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Although individual unlearning is significant for personal growth and development, few studies have investigated this process quantitatively. The main goal of this study was to examine the antecedents of individual unlearning in terms of goal orientations and reflective activities using survey data from 271 employees of Japanese organizations (including municipal government employees, human resource development [HRD] trainers from a consulting firm, and hospital nurses). The results indicated that learning goal orientation had an indirect effect on unlearning through reflection and critical reflection as well as through critical reflection only. Performance goal orientation also had an indirect effect on unlearning through reflection and, subsequently, through critical reflection. The findings suggest that critical reflection plays a key role in linking goal orientations with individual unlearning. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of team and individual reflexivity in linking managerial coaching with individual learning. Design/methodology/approach-Data obtained from 506 individuals in 98 engineering teams in the automobile and electronic industries were used to investigate specific hypotheses. Findings-The results indicated that managerial coaching directly influenced team learning and individual learning, team reflexivity acted as substantial mediator for the relationship between managerial coaching and team learning, as well as the relationship between managerial coaching and individual reflexivity and team reflexivity and individual reflexivity co-acted each other as mediators for the relationship between managerial coaching and individual learning. Research limitations/implications-As the subjects of this study were engineering teams in which tasks are interdependent, there is a possibility that the task trait may have affected the results. Practical implications-Managers should recognize the importance of collectively reflective activities in promoting both individual and team learning. Facilitating coaching skills are indispensable to enhance reflexivity within teams. Originality/value-This study extends prior research by demonstrating the mediating role of team and individual reflexivity as mediators in linking managerial coaching to team and individual learning, which has never been investigated in previous studies.