Title: Compromising innovative behaviour with work shame

Authors: Angus J. Duff

Addresses: Thompson Rivers University, School of Business and Economics, 805 TRU Way, Kamloops, V2C 0C8, British Columbia, Canada

Abstract: While the consideration of negative affect as an influence of innovative behaviour has yielded conflicting results in the organisational science literature, the current study sought to consider the influence of the discrete emotion of shame on innovative behaviour. Research outside of the domain of organisations suggests that shame enacts withdrawal behaviour, the negative form of engagement. Based in Kahn's (1990) suggestion that engagement is comprised of psychological availability, psychological safety and psychological meaningfulness, this study aimed to investigate work shame as a compromise to innovative behaviour, while considering the pathways acting as the mediating mechanism. Employees and managers from two organisations in different industries were surveyed. Through the use of path analysis, findings suggest that work shame exerts an indirect effect on innovative behaviour through psychological availability. Implications for both emotions and innovative behaviour research are considered.

Keywords: work emotions; shame; innovative behaviour; engagement.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWOE.2017.089289

International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, 2017 Vol.8 No.4, pp.249 - 268

Accepted: 21 Aug 2017
Published online: 14 Jan 2018 *

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