A self-regulation perspective on individual ambidexterity

个体双元性的自我调节视角

• 批准号: 2416176
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2416176
• 关键词: self; regulation; perspective; individual; ambidexterity

This research project is set out to advance the study of individual ambidexterity through a self-regulation perspective on employees' innovative performance. Ambidexterity has been traditionally located at the organizational level of analysis, describing the ability of companies to manage the tensions that arise from leveraging existing competencies (exploitation) while experimenting with novel ones (exploration) for innovative success (Gupta et al., 2006). There is a growing recognition in the field that corporate efforts to balance exploration and exploitation play out in the daily job roles of individuals who are tasked to explore new knowledge and exploit pre-existing know-how to meet efficiency standards (Mom et al., 2015). Yet, calls for developing an understanding of exactly how individuals can excel at both activities have gone largely unheeded (Turner et al., 2013). The present research addresses this issue at contemporary workplaces that allow employees to assume greater responsibility and decision-making authority over their tasks. Employees' engagement in decision-making has been markedly associated with their intent to pursue a diverse range of goals and actively decide how to divide their time between them (Lord et al., 2010). This ability is characteristic of the behavioural ambivalence necessary for achieving individual ambidexterity (Gibson & Birkinshaw, 2004). By contextualizing the study of individual ambidexterity within the theory of self-regulation (Frayne & Latham, 1987), the project makes a novel case for ambidexterity as a learnable phenomenon. Namely, employees are recognized as active goal-setting agents who evaluate their progress towards goal achievement (i.e., exploration vs. exploitation goals) and modify their cognition or behaviours accordingly when discrepancies arise between their current and desired state (Leventhal et al., 1980). Building on previous research in the realm of self-regulation that positions goal orientations as strong predictors of behaviour (DeShon et al., 2004), the project investigates the association between learning (LG) and prove-goal (PG) orientations as antecedents of individual ambidexterity. Specifically, the study hypothesizes that LG orientation (i.e., motivation to engage in challenging tasks for personal growth) and PG orientation (i.e., drive to prove once competence to others) positively relate to employees' explorative and exploitative activities, respectively. Furthermore, the researchers propose that ambidextrous leadership may facilitate the expression of employees' LG and PG orientations via so-called 'opening' (OLB) and 'closing' (CLB) leadership behaviours (Rosing et al., 2011). While the former describes efforts that increase variance in employee behaviours (e.g., encouraging followers to challenge the status quo), the latter antagonistically refers to initiatives that reduce variance (e.g., taking action to set guidelines). Given the matching nature of OLB and CLB functions with those of exploration and exploitation at the individual level, the present study tests for cross-level moderation effects. The project will also include a measure of employee-level innovation.The study strives to make several contributions to innovation research. These include an elaborated understanding of how individual ambidexterity may be self-regulated via distinct goal orientations to yield innovative performance. Supported hypotheses imply at least two approaches along which practitioners may promote individual ambidexterity: Leaders are advised to develop employees' continuous learning capacities necessary for self-regulation and evolve the quality of their own OLB and CLB to facilitate the ambidextrous behaviour of their employees. These insights may translate onto human resource development practices and specific personnel selection criteria at corporations that strive to maximize their workplaces for innovative proactivity at the employee level.

该研究项目旨在通过员工创新绩效的自我调节视角来推进个人双元性的研究。双元性传统上位于组织分析层面，描述公司管理因利用现有能力（利用）而产生的紧张局势，同时尝试新能力（探索）以获得创新成功的能力（Gupta 等，2006）。该领域越来越多的人认识到，企业平衡探索和利用的努力体现在个人的日常工作角色中，这些个人的任务是探索新知识和利用现有的专有技术来满足效率标准（Mom 等，2015）。然而，要求人们准确了解个人如何才能在这两项活动中取得优异成绩的呼吁基本上没有引起重视（Turner et al., 2013）。本研究解决了当代工作场所中的这个问题，这些工作场所允许员工对其任务承担更大的责任和决策权。员工参与决策与他们追求多种目标并积极决定如何分配时间的意图显着相关（Lord 等，2010）。这种能力是实现个人双元性所必需的行为矛盾心理的特征（Gibson & Birkinshaw，2004）。通过将个体双元性研究置于自我调节理论的背景下（Frayne & Latham，1987），该项目为双元性作为一种可学习现象提供了一个新颖的案例。也就是说，员工被认为是积极的目标设定代理人，他们评估自己实现目标的进度（即探索目标与利用目标），并在当前状态和期望状态之间出现差异时相应地修改他们的认知或行为（Leventhal 等，1980）。基于先前在自我调节领域的研究，该研究将目标取向定位为行为的强有力预测因素（DeShon 等人，2004），该项目研究了学习（LG）和证明目标（PG）取向之间的关联，作为个人双元性的先决条件。具体来说，该研究假设 LG 导向（即为了个人成长而参与具有挑战性的任务的动机）和 PG 导向（即向他人证明曾经的能力的动力）分别与员工的探索性和剥削性活动正相关。此外，研究人员提出，双元领导可以通过所谓的“开放”（OLB）和“封闭”（CLB）领导行为促进员工 LG 和 PG 取向的表达（Rosing 等，2011）。前者描述了增加员工行为差异的努力（例如，鼓励追随者挑战现状），而后者则相反地指的是减少差异的举措（例如，采取行动制定指导方针）。鉴于 OLB 和 CLB 功能与个体层面的探索和利用功能的匹配性质，本研究测试了跨层面的调节效应。该项目还将包括对员工层面创新的衡量。该研究致力于为创新研究做出一些贡献。其中包括对个人双元性如何通过不同的目标导向进行自我调节以产生创新绩效的详细理解。支持的假设表明，从业者至少可以通过两种方法来促进个人的双元性：建议领导者培养员工自我调节所需的持续学习能力，并提高自己的 OLB 和 CLB 的质量，以促进员工的双元性行为。这些见解可以转化为公司的人力资源开发实践和具体的人员选择标准，这些公司努力最大限度地提高工作场所，以提高员工的创新积极性。