Date of Award
8-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Management
Committee Chair/Advisor
Kristin Scott
Committee Member
David Peyton
Committee Member
Marissa Shuffler
Committee Member
Tom Zagenczyk
Abstract
This study examines the psychological mechanisms by which employees with a pronounced propensity for risk-taking navigate highly formalized organizational environments. Utilizing a longitudinal, three-wave cross-sectional design with temporal separation, the research surveyed 220 employees with psychometrically validated instruments to assess personality traits, role conflict, and organizational identification. Anchored in an integrative framework that combines regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997) and identity theory (Burke & Stets, 2009), the study hypothesized that self-verification striving and a growth mindset mediate the relationships between risk-seeking tendencies and the outcomes of role conflict and organizational identification, with organizational structure serving as a moderating variable. Structural equation modeling (SEM), supported by comprehensive psychometric assessments including reliability analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, demonstrated a significant direct effect of risk-seeking on role conflict (β = 0.229, p < 0.001).
This finding indicates that employees who embrace risk experience heightened role conflict in structured settings due to a regulatory non-fit between their promotion-focused orientation and the prevention-focused demands of such environments. Neither self-verification striving nor growth mindset mediated these relationships, though both exhibited marginally significant direct effects on organizational identification, suggesting independent contributions to organizational attachment. Organizational structure did not moderate the hypothesized pathways. These findings contribute to regulatory focus theory by demonstrating that regulatory non-fit, driven by risk-seeking tendencies, primarily manifests as role conflict rather than diminished organizational identification.
Recommended Citation
Elliott, David Sr., "Regulatory Tension in Highly Structured Organizations" (2025). All Dissertations. 4026.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4026