No silver bullet to boost employee change supportive behaviors: the fit between gender, regulatory focus, and managerial influence tactics

Abstract

Strategic change is central for organizational performance and survival. Managers deploy proactive influence tactics to boost employees’ change supportive behaviors. However, a one-size-fits-all approach is not suitable due to employees’ idiosyncratic differences. Drawing on the regulatory focus theory and gender theories, this research theorizes and tests the effect of the fit between employees’ regulatory focus, gender and the tactic on change supportive behaviors. By using the change readiness framework, the influence tactics’ correspondence with regulatory focus across genders are mapped. A 5×2×2 experimental factorial design is employed to test the fit hypotheses. The results show that when an influence tactic fits with both employees’ regulatory focus and gender, it promotes employees’ championing which is a proactive behavior. Moreover, the mere fit between the tactic and regulatory focus irrespective of gender engenders cooperation which is an adaptive behavior. Theoretical implications for the change management, gender and regulatory focus literatures are discussed, and recommendations for future research are provided.