Extending the boundaries of psychological ownership research: measurement, outcomes, cultural moderators

Abstract

PurposePsychological ownership (PO) theory and extended self theory explain why someone feels like the owner of his/her job or organization. Yet, there is limited prior research examining whether PO differs as an individual versus collective phenomenon, and in different cultural contexts. The authors extend this literature by examining the dimensionality of PO, multiple outcomes and cultural values as boundary conditions.Design/methodology/approachData from surveys of 331 supervisors from Mexico and the US were collected to examine the relationships between the theorized constructs. The authors apply two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression analysis to alleviate endogeneity concerns and produce robust results.FindingsBoth individual and collective PO (IPO and CPO) are positively associated with organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) and a new outcome, paternalistic leadership behavior. Cultural values are significant moderators with an individualistic orientation enhancing and a power distance orientation attenuating these relationships.Originality/valueThis study extends PO theory and extended self theory by investigating whether IPO and CPO have different outcomes considering contextual differences in cultural values. Additionally, the authors capture the frequency of paternalism instead of its mere occurrence.