Ambidextrous Leadership and Job Crafting: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Moderating Role of Organizational Social Exchange

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Mohammad Sadegh Hassanzadeh Pasikhani ¹
• tooraj Hassanzadeh Samrein ²
• Mir Hami Moazen Jamshidi ³
• Mir Hadi Moazen Jamshidi ¹

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of Management, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

³ Ms of Public Administration-Transformation Management, Payame Noor University, Rasht, Gilan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/tmj.2023.74936.1249

Abstract

 
1- INTRODUCTION
The unpredictability and uncertainty of working conditions have necessitated mechanisms of flexibility and change in current applications of job design theory. Organizations should be able to use their existing capabilities and at the same time acquire new and basic capabilities; In fact, they become ambidextrous. For organizations to become ambidextrous, they need leaders with ambidextrous characteristics who manage changes and simultaneously improve creativity and innovation. In this way, the organizations become adaptable and explorative to realize their mission. The organization's entrepreneurial orientation empowers the workforce and encourages them to redesign their duties actively. On the other hand, social exchanges in organizations highlight the socio-emotional aspect of job relationships, such as feelings and attention.
 
2- THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
One of the solutions to provide an outstanding performance is to be explorative and innovative simultaneously with the aid of the organization's structure and design, its human resources, and leadership styles. These issues can be incorporated into a distinct concept called entrepreneurial orientation. Previous research showed that ambidextrous leadership increases the entrepreneurial orientation of an organization. In an organization with high-quality social exchanges, employees are more capable of redesigning their work activities, and thus, the social exchange may moderate the effect of ambidextrous leadership on job crafting.
 
3- METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation and the moderating role of organizational social exchange for ambidextrous leadership-job crafting association. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population was comprised of active manufacturing companies located in the industrial towns of Rasht, Lahijan, and Bandar Anzali, among which 121 companies were sampled using the convenience method. The needed data was gathered by distributing questionnaires in the form of an in-person survey. Obtained data were analyzed in SmartPls v.2 and Spss v.28 to test the research hypotheses.
 
4- RESULTS & DISCUSSION
The results of structural equation modeling indicated that entrepreneurial orientation fully mediated the effect of ambidextrous leadership on job crafting. The results of hierarchical regression analysis confirmed the moderating role of social exchange. In other words, the interactional effect of ambidextrous leadership and social exchange and job crafting was also statistically significant.
 
5- CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS
Job redesign in the form of job crafting is like a white canvas on which employees can determine their work content to have meaningful jobs. Therefore, an organization of high entrepreneurial orientation provides an environment to foster such proactive and creative behaviors in line with job crafting. Ambidextrous leaders create a synergy between explorative and exploitative activities to facilitate entrepreneurial orientation, which in turn leads to job crafting. In an organization of having high-quality social exchanges, employees are more committed to the organization and tend to engage in entrepreneurial behaviors and changes. Therefore, job crafting can be a more likely process for ambidextrous leaders of an organization that has entrepreneurial orientation and high-quality social exchanges.
 

Keywords

• Ambidextrous Leadership
• Entrepreneurial Orientation
• Job Crafting
• Organizational Social Exchange

References

References

Amini, A.; Dolatshah, P., & Fatahi, H. (2017). Social Capital, Entrepreneurship Marketing and Mediated Role of Shared Knowledge. Social Capital Management, 4(4), 547-569. (In Persian).

Atiku, S. O., & Randa, I. O. (2021). Ambidextrous Leadership for SMEs in the COVID-19 Era. In Handbook of Research on Sustaining SMEs and Entrepreneurial Innovation in the Post-COVID-19 Era (pp. 19-39). IGI Global.

Bruning, P. F., & Campion, M. A. (2018). A role–resource approach–avoidance model of job crafting: A multimethod integration and extension of job crafting theory. Academy of Management Journal, 61(2), 499-522.

Davies, I. A.; Haugh, H., & Chambers, L. (2018). Barriers to social enterprise growth. Journal of Small Business Management.

Federici, E.; Boon, C., & Den Hartog, D. N. (2021). The moderating role of HR practices on the career adaptability–job crafting relationship: a study among employee–manager dyads. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32(6), 1339-1367.

Ghorehjili, S.; Rahmati, M., & Pourkarimi, J. (2019). Ambidexterity leadership Components: A Meta-synthesis Study. Journal of Research on Management of Teaching in Marine Sciences, 6(1), 123-138. (In Persian).

Hassanzadeh Samarin, T.; Seifollahi, N., & imanifard, M. (2020). Investigating the Mediating Role of Organizational Social Capital in Ambidexterity Leadership and Competitive Intelligence in Artavil Tire Company in Ardabil. Journal of Entrepreneurship Development, 13(2), 181-198. (In Persian).

Knight, C.; Tims, M.; Gawke, J., & Parker, S. K. (2021). When do job crafting interventions work? The moderating roles of workload, intervention intensity, and participation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 124, 103522.

Kohanhooshnejad, R.; Khanifar, H.; Talebi, K., & Rezaian, A. (2019). Explain the Role of Entrepreneurial Psychological Capital on New Venture Creation: Mediator Role of Entrepreneurial Intention (Case: Medical Equipment Companies). Organizational Culture Management, 17(2), 193-218. (In Persian).

Lazazzara, A.; Tims, M., & De Gennaro, D. (2020). The process of reinventing a job: A meta–synthesis of qualitative job crafting research. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 116, 103267.

Lee, J. Y., & Lee, Y. (2018). Job crafting and performance: Literature review and implications for human resource development. Human Resource Development Review, 17(3), 277-313.

Li, J.; Sekiguchi, T., & Qi, J. (2020). When and why skill variety influences employee job crafting. Employee Relations: The International Journal.

Luu, T. T.; Dinh, K., & Qian, D. (2019). Ambidextrous leadership, entrepreneurial orientation and job crafting. European Business Review.

Ma, J.; Zhou, X.; Chen, R., & Dong, X. (2019). Does ambidextrous leadership motivate work crafting? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 77, 159-168.

Martínez-Climent, C.; Rodríguez-García, M., & Zeng, J. (2019). Ambidextrous leadership, social entrepreneurial orientation, and operational performance. Sustainability, 11(3), 890.

Mascareño, J.; Rietzschel, E. F., & Wisse, B. (2021). Ambidextrous leadership: opening and closing leader behaviours to facilitate idea generation, idea promotion and idea realization. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 1-11.

Miller, D., & Friesen, P. H. (1982). Innovation in conservative and entrepreneurial firms: two models of strategic momentum. Strategic Management Journal, 3(1), 1-25.

Moazen Jamshidi, M. H., & Khani, N. (2013), Pls Guide: A Practical Guide to design and Analysis of Structural Equation Model, USA, Create Space.

Naami, A., & Shenavar, F. (2015). The Role of Work Engagement, Job Control, Innovative Behavior, and Transformational Leadership in Prediction of Job Crafting. Public Management Researches, 8(27), 145-165. (In Persian).

Petrou, P.; Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2018). Crafting the change: The role of employee job crafting behaviors for successful organizational change. Journal of Management, 44(5), 1766-1792.

Rafaeli, A. (1989). When cashiers meet customers: An analysis of the role of supermarket cashiers. Academy of management Journal, 32(2), 245-273.

Rosing, K.; Frese, M., & Bausch, A. (2011). Explaining the heterogeneity of the leadership-innovation relationship: Ambidextrous leadership. The leadership quarterly, 22(5), 956-974.

Shafei, R. (2013). Designing a Structured Model of Marketing Performance Measures in Food Companies. Iranian journal of management sciences, 7(25), 133-154. (In Persian).

Scheepers, C. B., & Storm, C. P. (2019). Authentic leadership’s influence on ambidexterity with mediators in the South African context. European Business Review, 31(3), 352-378.

Shore, L. M.; Tetrick, L. E.; Lynch, P., & Barksdale, K. (2006). Social and economic exchange: Construct development and validation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36(4), 837-867.

Tims, M.; Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2012). The development and validation of the job crafting scale. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(2), 173-186.

Tung, F. C., & Yu, T. W. (2016). Does innovation leadership enhance creativity in high-tech industries? Leadership & Organization Development Journal. 37(5), 579-592.

Wang, H.; Li, P., & Chen, S. (2020). The impact of social factors on job crafting: A meta-analysis and review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 8016.

Wiklund, J., & Shepherd, D. (2003). Knowledge‐based resources, entrepreneurial orientation, and the performance of small and medium‐sized businesses. Strategic management journal, 24(13), 1307-1314.

Wrzesniewski, A.; LoBuglio, N.; Dutton, J. E., & Berg, J. M. (2013). Job crafting and cultivating positive meaning and identity in work. Advances in Positive Organizational Psychology, 1(1), 281-302.

Zacher, H., & Rosing, K. (2015). Ambidextrous leadership and team innovation. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(1), 54-68.