“Things have to change!” How and when change-oriented leaders and idea championing employees can address organizational underperformance through performance pressures

PurposeThis study investigates how and when employees' exposure to organizational leaders who propose major changes might direct those employees toward efforts to mobilize support for innovative ideas. It specifically theorizes a mediating role of performance pressure beliefs and a moderating role of perceived organizational underperformance in this process.Design/methodology/approachThree-wave, multi-rater survey data were collected among employees and their supervisors across various industries.FindingsA critical explanatory mechanism that links change-oriented leadership with enhanced championing efforts is that employees experience performance-related hardships. The extent to which employees perceive that their organization is unable to meet its own performance targets triggers this process.Practical implicationsFor organizational decision makers, the findings identify results-driven pressures as key mechanisms by which employees' exposures to change-oriented leadership can be leveraged to promote novel ideas. This translation is more likely among employees who are convinced that there is significant room for organizational improvement.Originality/valueThis study unravels the previously unexplored link between change-oriented leadership and idea championing, pinpointing the influences of two performance-related aspects: beliefs about strenuous organization-induced performance expectations and perceptions of an underperforming employer.