Employee responses to technological turbulence: the joint role of employees' approach crafting and colleagues' avoidance crafting

Abstract

Purpose Drawing on job demands-resources theory and social influence perspective (crossover, emotional contagion, and social learning), this study aims to investigate how technological turbulence shapes employees' job performance, with a particular focus on the mediating role of employees' approach crafting and the moderating influence of colleagues' avoidance crafting. Design/methodology/approach A multi-method approach was adopted. Study 1 utilized a vignette experiment (N = 151) to examine the causal effect of technological turbulence on employees' approach crafting. Study 2, a dyadic field survey (N = 452 dyads), was conducted to validate the overall hypothesized model and enhance the robustness and ecological validity of the findings. Finally, Study 3 (N = 220) employed another vignette experiment to further confirm that colleagues' avoidance crafting significantly moderated the effect of employees' approach crafting on job performance. Findings Technological turbulence exerts a positive indirect effect on employees' job performance via increased engagement in approach crafting. However, this indirect effect is contingent on colleagues' avoidance crafting: when colleagues exhibit high levels of avoidance crafting, the positive impact of technological turbulence via approach crafting is significantly weakened. Originality/value This study advances micro-level understanding of technological turbulence by unpacking its indirect influence on employee outcomes through self-initiated work behaviors. By incorporating a social-relational lens into job crafting research, the study reveals that colleagues' behaviors critically shape the effectiveness of employees' adaptive strategies – offering novel insights into the collective dynamics of job design in turbulent environments.