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Courage in the workplace: The effects of organizational level and gender on the relationship between behavioral courage and job performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2018

Oleksandr Tkachenko ,
Louis N. Quast ,
Wei Song  and
Soebin Jang
Oleksandr Tkachenko*
Affiliation:
Organization, Information & Learning Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Louis N. Quast
Affiliation:
Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Wei Song
Affiliation:
Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Soebin Jang
Affiliation:
Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
*
Corresponding author: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study examines the relationship between behavioral courage and job performance, and explores the possible effects of organizational level and gender on this relationship. With a sample of managers from mid- to large-sized for-profit organizations in the United States, we found that behavioral courage was positively associated with job performance. Our results also revealed significant differences in supervisors’ ratings of behavioral courage between employees at low and high organizational levels. The effects of behavioral courage on job performance did not vary by organizational level. In turn, the moderating effect of gender on the association between behavioral courage and job performance was supported. The study results provide important theoretical and practical implications in the fields of organizational behavior, leadership studies, and human resource development. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Keywords

workplace couragebehavioral couragejob performancegenderorganizational level
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 26 , Issue 5 , September 2020 , pp. 899 - 915
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2018

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