TY - JOUR

T1 - Differential Effects of Workplace Stressors on Innovation

T2 - An Integrated Perspective of Cybernetics and Coping

AU - Fay, Doris

AU - Bagotyriute , Ruta

AU - Urbach, Tina

AU - West, Michael Alun

AU - Dawson, Jeremy

N1 - ©American Psychological Association, 2017. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/str0000081

PY - 2019/2

Y1 - 2019/2

N2 - It is now consensus that engaging in innovative work behaviours is not restricted to traditional innovation jobs (e.g., research and development), but that they can be performed on a discretionary basis in most of today's jobs. To date, our knowledge on the role of workplace stressors for discretionary innovative behaviour, in particular for innovation implementation is limited. We draw on a cybernetic view as well as on a transactional, coping-based perspective with stress to propose differential effects of stressors on innovation implementation. We propose that work demands have a positive effect on innovation implementation, whereas role-based stressors - i.e., role conflict, role ambiguity, and professional compromise - have a negative effect. We conducted a time-lagged, survey-based study in the health care sector (Study 1, UK: N = 235 nurses). Innovation implementation was measured two years after the assessment of the stressors. Supporting our hypotheses, work demands were positively, role ambiguity and professional compromise negatively related to subsequent innovation implementation. We also tested organizational commitment as a mediator, but there was only partial support for the mediation. To test the generalizability of the findings, we replicated the study (Study 2, Germany: employees from various professions, N = 138, time lag 2 weeks). Again, work demands were positively, role ambiguity and professional compromise negatively related to subsequent innovation implementation. There was no support for strain as a mediator. Our results suggest differential effects of work demands and role stressors on innovation implementation, for which the underlying mechanism still needs to be uncovered.

AB - It is now consensus that engaging in innovative work behaviours is not restricted to traditional innovation jobs (e.g., research and development), but that they can be performed on a discretionary basis in most of today's jobs. To date, our knowledge on the role of workplace stressors for discretionary innovative behaviour, in particular for innovation implementation is limited. We draw on a cybernetic view as well as on a transactional, coping-based perspective with stress to propose differential effects of stressors on innovation implementation. We propose that work demands have a positive effect on innovation implementation, whereas role-based stressors - i.e., role conflict, role ambiguity, and professional compromise - have a negative effect. We conducted a time-lagged, survey-based study in the health care sector (Study 1, UK: N = 235 nurses). Innovation implementation was measured two years after the assessment of the stressors. Supporting our hypotheses, work demands were positively, role ambiguity and professional compromise negatively related to subsequent innovation implementation. We also tested organizational commitment as a mediator, but there was only partial support for the mediation. To test the generalizability of the findings, we replicated the study (Study 2, Germany: employees from various professions, N = 138, time lag 2 weeks). Again, work demands were positively, role ambiguity and professional compromise negatively related to subsequent innovation implementation. There was no support for strain as a mediator. Our results suggest differential effects of work demands and role stressors on innovation implementation, for which the underlying mechanism still needs to be uncovered.

KW - innovation

KW - implementation

KW - stressors

KW - innovative work behaviour

KW - cybernetic stress theory

U2 - 10.1037/str0000081

DO - 10.1037/str0000081

M3 - Journal article

VL - 26

SP - 11

EP - 24

JO - International Journal of Stress Management

JF - International Journal of Stress Management

SN - 1072-5245

IS - 1

ER -