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ABSTRACT
This research aims to explain whether the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by employers fosters or hinders employee innovative behaviour. Incorporating the Yin-Yang perspective as the overarching framework and integrating the cognitive appraisal perspective, we propose a curvilinear effect between AI usage and innovative behaviour, resulting from opposing Yin and Yang pathways. AI usage can influence two regulatory states of employees: challenge appraisals and hindrance appraisals. These, in turn, affect their innovative behaviour in opposite directions. In a multi-wave survey study, we found that AI usage had a positive U-shaped curvilinear effect on innovative behaviour, which we term the ‘Getting Better’ effect. This indicates a positive indirect effect of AI usage on innovative behaviour through challenge appraisals. In contrast, an experiment revealed an inverted U-shaped curvilinear effect of AI usage on innovative behaviour, which was the ‘TMGT (Too Much of a Good Thing)’ effect. This highlights a negative indirect effect of AI usage on innovative behaviour through hindrance appraisals. Furthermore, our research suggests that higher self-efficacy can weaken the negative indirect effect of AI usage on innovative behaviour through hindrance appraisals. We discuss theoretical contributions and practical implications for individuals and organizations.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Ethics statement
The procedure of data collection has been described in detail in the study. The study was carried out in accordance with the ethical standards of the Research Ethics Review Committee at the author’s school and with the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants read and gave written informed consent document before participating in the study. All participation was voluntary. To protect participants, all responses were anonymous.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Jinliang Zang
Jinliang Zang is a Ph.D. candidate at the Business School, Beijing Normal University. His research interests include human resource management and organizational behaviour.
Qiuyu Shao
Qiuyu Shao is a master’s candidate at the Business School, Beijing Normal University. Her research interests include human resource management and organizational behaviour.
Hai Li
Hai Li is a professor at the Business School, Beijing Normal University. He received a Ph.D. in business school from Renmin University of China. His research areas include human resource management and Organizational behaviour.