Slacking Off in Comfort: A Dual-Pathway Model for Psychological Safety Climate

Deng, H.; Leung, K.; Lam, C.; Huang, X.

Abstract

Research on psychological safety climate has primarily focused on its salutary effects on group risk-taking behaviors. We developed a group-level dual-pathway model in which psychological safety climate also exerts a simultaneous negative effect on risk-taking behaviors by diminishing group average work motivation. In a field survey, we found that psychological safety climate was positively related to group learning behavior and voice through a reduction in group average fear of failure but negatively related to them through a reduction in group average work motivation. This dual-pathway model and its mechanisms were conceptually replicated in a laboratory experiment with group creativity as a different risk-taking behavior. In this experiment, we examined the moderating effects of group individualism/collectivism and found that psychological safety climate increased the originality and flexibility dimensions of group creativity through a reduction in group average fear of failure only in groups with a collectivistic orientation and reduced the fluency dimension of and time spent on creativity through a reduction in group average work motivation only in individualistic groups.

Citation

Deng, H., Leung, K., Lam, C., & Huang, X. (2019). Slacking Off in Comfort: A Dual-Pathway Model for Psychological Safety Climate. Journal of Management, 45(3), 1114-1144. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206317693083

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 9, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Feb 1, 2017
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Oct 10, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 18, 2017
• Journal: Journal of Management
• Print ISSN: 0149-2063
• Electronic ISSN: 1557-1211
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 45
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 1114-1144
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206317693083
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1343109