Crafting in the face of ostracism: when does coworker ostracism foster employee job crafting and innovative work behavior?

Purpose Drawing on the perspective of the “frog pond” effect, this study examines the interactive relationship between coworker ostracism and relative leader–member exchange (RLMX) on job crafting. Moreover, we investigate how employees’ marital status moderates the interaction between coworker ostracism and RLMX in the context of job crafting. Additionally, we explore how these combined effects ultimately influence employees’ innovative work behavior (IWB) through the mediation of job crafting. Design/methodology/approach A two-wave survey with a one-month interval was conducted (N = 358). In the first-wave survey, coworker ostracism and RLMX were rated. In the second-wave survey, job crafting and IWB were reported. Findings The research findings indicate that: (1) RLMX moderates the relationship between coworker ostracism and job crafting, with a stronger positive relationship at lower RLMX levels; (2) this moderating effect is more significant for single employees than for married employees; (3) job crafting is positively associated with employees’ IWB; (4) RLMX moderates the indirect effect of coworker ostracism on IWB through job crafting and (5) RLMX and marital status jointly influence the mediating role of job crafting between coworker ostracism and IWB, with the strongest indirect effect observed for single employees at lower RLMX levels. Originality/value This paper advances the understanding of how scarce relational resources motivate job crafting and eventually enhance IWB.