The purpose of this research is to explore the effect of empowering leadership on employee improvisation, including the mediating roles of challenge stress and hindrance stress as well as the moderating role of psychological availability. Methods: Four proposed hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrapping method by reference to two waves of data collected in 2021 from 248 employees working for organizations located in southern China. Results:The results showed that empowering leadership had a positive effect on employee improvisation, which was mediated by challenge stress and hindrance stress. That is, empowering leadership promoted challenge stress and decreased hindrance stress, thereby stimulating employee improvisation. Furthermore, psychological availability strengthened the positive effect of challenge stress on employee improvisation and weakened the negative effect of hindrance stress on employee improvisation. Psychological availability also moderated the indirect relationships among empowering leadership, challenge/hindrance stress and employee improvisation. Conclusion:In theoretical terms, this study identifies a new antecedent of employee improvisation: empowering leadership. This study also advances knowledge concerning the mechanism by which empowering leadership exerts its influence by drawing on cognitive transactional theory. Moreover, this study's exploration of the moderating role of psychological availability enriches the literature concerning the boundary conditions of the challenge-hindrance stress model. In practical terms, this study provides useful insights that can help organizations activate employee improvisation and manage employees' work pressure.
We applied social cognitive theory and the job demands–resources model to examine the relationship between challenge and hindrance stressor types and taking charge. The sample comprised 242 Master of Business Administration students at a university located in eastern China. The regression results reveal that challenge stressors positively predicted taking charge, and that the direct effect of hindrance stressors on taking charge was nonsignificant. Control appraisals positively mediated the relationship between challenge stressors and taking charge, and negatively mediated the relationship between hindrance stressors and taking charge. The positive relationship between challenge stressors and control appraisals was stronger when resource acquisition tactics were highly proactive rather than when they were less proactive. Proactive resource acquisition tactics also moderated the indirect effect of challenge stressors on taking charge through control appraisals. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
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