The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Performance Pressure on Employee Boundary-Spanning Behavior

With the emergence of "boundaryless organizations" and the increase in boundary-spanning activities, the sustainable development of organizations has been affected. Effectively promoting employees to engage in boundary-spanning activities has become of great practical significance. Besides, performance pressure has become a prevalent workplace stressor, significantly impacting employees' work behaviors. Therefore, drawing upon the cognitive-affective processing system theory and stressor-strain relationship theory, this study aims to investigate the mechanisms and boundary conditions of performance pressure on employee boundary-spanning behavior. Data collected from 336 questionnaires at two different time points is analyzed using bootstrapping and hierarchical regression to test hypotheses. The results indicate that performance pressure boosts employee boundary-spanning behavior by enhancing cognitive flexibility, while hindering this behavior by producing obsessive work passion. Moreover, achievement orientation plays a key role in moderating the impact of performance pressure on cognitive flexibility and obsessive work passion. Specifically, achievement orientation positively moderates the link between performance pressure and cognitive flexibility, while negatively moderating the relationship between performance pressure and obsessive work passion. Additionally, achievement orientation is found to moderate the indirect influence of performance pressure on employee boundary-spanning behavior through these two mediators. This study reveals that employees with high achievement orientation under performance pressure tend to develop cognitive flexibility, which motivates them to engage in more employee boundary-spanning activities. This paper also provides practical guidance for enterprises to promote employee boundary-spanning behavior. This study not only expands the research on the antecedents of employee boundary-spanning behavior but also confirms the double-edged sword effect of performance pressure on employee boundary-spanning behavior from both cognitive and affective perspectives.