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Job Insecurity and Employees’ Taking Charge Behaviors: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model

Author

Listed:
  • Fang Sun

    (Economics and Management School, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Anqi Zheng

    (School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Junbang Lan

    (School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China)

Abstract

Given the rapid changes in current technologies, business models, and work environments, organizations and managers increasingly rely on their employees’ proactive behaviors, such as taking charge, to gain competitive advantages. Taking charge involves a range of risky and future-oriented behaviors, and it requires employees to work hard to achieve them in the future. For employees with high job-insecurity, their job continuity in the future is threatened. Thus, they may not be willing to take risks to do additional work that is “future-oriented”. To our knowledge, the effect of job insecurity on employees’ taking charge has rarely been studied. As a result, the purpose of our study is to investigate whether, how, and when job insecurity will influence taking charge. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory and proactive motivation model, we develop a theoretical model. Moreover, we employed a multi-wave and multi-source survey to test our predictions. Based on the data from 194 full-time employees paired with their direct supervisors, the results provided consistent support for the proposed hypotheses. Specifically, the results indicate that job insecurity prohibits employees’ taking charge behaviors through deteriorating their work engagement. Furthermore, employees’ perception of interactional justice moderates the negative influence of job insecurity on their work engagement and, consequently, their taking charge behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Fang Sun & Anqi Zheng & Junbang Lan, 2022. "Job Insecurity and Employees’ Taking Charge Behaviors: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-13, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:2:p:696-:d:720391
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shao-Long Li & Wei He & Kai Yam & Li-Rong Long, 2015. "When and why empowering leadership increases followers’ taking charge: A multilevel examination in China," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 645-670, September.
    2. Wenqing Tian & Huatian Wang & Sonja Rispens, 2021. "How and When Job Crafting Relates to Employee Creativity: The Important Roles of Work Engagement and Perceived Work Group Status Diversity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-17, January.
    3. Subhendu Patnaik & Uma Sankar Mishra & Bibhuti Bhusan Mishra, 2022. "Can psychological capital reduce stress and job insecurity? An experimental examination with indian evidence," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 1071-1096, September.
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