TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fay, Doris
A1  - Bagotyriute, Ruta
A1  - Urbach, Tina
A1  - West, Michael A.
A1  - Dawson, Jeremy
T1  - Differential effects of workplace stressors on innovation
BT  - an integrated perspective of cybernetics and coping
JF  - International Journal of Stress Management
N2  - It is now consensus that engaging in innovative work behaviors 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 behavior, 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, United Kingdom: N = 235 nurses). Innovation implementation was measured 2 years after the assessment of the stressors. Supporting our hypotheses, work demands were positively related to subsequent innovation implementation, whereas role ambiguity and professional compromise were 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). Similar results to that in Study 1 were obtained. 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 implementation
KW  - stressors
KW  - innovative work behavior
KW  - cybernetic stress theory
Y1  - 2019
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1037/str0000081
SN  - 1072-5245
SN  - 1573-3424
VL  - 26
IS  - 1
SP  - 11
EP  - 24
PB  - American Psychological Association
CY  - Washington
ER  -