Why and How Manager Promotive and Preventive Psychological Ownership Influence Voice Endorsement

Integrating the literature on psychological ownership (PO) and regulatory focus theory, this study explores why and how two distinct forms of managers’ PO (i.e. promotive and preventive) towards the group they supervised influence voice endorsement. Results from a time-lagged field study and an experimental scenario study reveal that managers’ promotive PO is positively related to voice endorsement through openness to group change, and that preventive PO is negatively related to voice endorsement through openness to group change. Moreover, the group promotive voice strengthens the positive indirect effect of managers’ promotive PO towards their group on voice endorsement via openness to group change, whereas the group prohibitive voice strengthens the negative indirect effect of managers’ preventive PO towards their group on voice endorsement via openness to group change. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.