The benefits and costs of employee taking charge: From a resource perspective

Abstract

Drawing upon conservation of resources theory, this study aims to examine when and how taking charge brings benefits and costs to employees. Using data collected from 392 employees and their supervisors at multiple time points in Mainland China, we found that taking charge leads to higher vitality and lower depletion when employees’ role breadth self-efficacy is high, whereas taking charge yields lower vitality and higher depletion when role breadth self-efficacy is low. In turn, vitality and depletion significantly affect organization-based self- esteem (OBSE), and they jointly mediate the interactive effects of taking charge and role breadth self-efficacy on OBSE. Our results also indicate that OBSE is positively related to subsequent acts of taking charge. From a resource perspective, our study demonstrates that performing taking charge can not only benefit the actors but only come at a cost for them. The implications of our findings for theory and practice are discussed.