Improvisation might be seen as a method of responsible innovation in organizations, due to its potential to be more responsive and enable bottom-up initiative. Considering that improvising involves the ability to pivot we argue that enhancing entrepreneurial orientation of existing firms means that their entrepreneurial behaviors can be also displayed in more responsible manner. The paper aims at investigating the influence of improvisation on entrepreneurial orientation (EO). While intuitively improvisation is closely connected to EO, surprisingly, there is very little theoretical and empirical evidence on that relation. The paper closes that gap by empirically investigating the role that improvisation plays in enhancing EO. Building on empirical evidence on the role of improvising in individual entrepreneurship, we use Hmieleski and Corbett’s framework of improvisation as a three-dimensional construct (creativity and bricolage, ability to function and excel under pressure and in stress-filled environments, and spontaneity and persistence) and entrepreneurial orientation as a three-dimensional construct (innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk taking) to investigate the impact of improvisation on individual components of EO. Using the data from 567 senior managers from medium and large organizations we find that improvisation has moderate effect on entrepreneurial orientation. Importantly, different dimensions of improvisation shape components of EO in different way: Creativity and bricolage have positive impact on innovativeness and proactiveness and ability to function and excel under stress has impact on propensity to take risk. The study has implications for the theory of responsible innovation by highlighting the potential of improvising to generate more responsive and stakeholder-involving and, in consequence, more responsible innovation.

The objective of the study was to explore the impact of leaders’ ages and followers’ perceptions of organizational justice (POJ) on the transfer of psychological capital (PsyCap) from leaders to followers, particularly examining how employees’ resilience is influenced by leaders’ PsyCap. While some evidence exists regarding PsyCap’s trickle-down effect, the specific circumstances triggering this phenomenon remain unclear. This study investigates the relationship between followers’ and leaders’ PsyCap, employing the Social Cognitive Theory and considering the moderating effects of leaders’ age and POJ. The study focused on leader-follower dyads within a randomly selected sample of 406 businesses, encompassing 812 respondents. The survey investigation utilized the CAPI approach. The hypothesized model underwent testing through multilevel dyadic regression analysis, employing an actor-partner interdependence model. The findings support two moderators —employees’ POJ and managers’ age — and highlight the cross-over effect of PsyCap. Specifically, a stronger trickle-down link is observed when a leader is older and operating within a low POJ environment. Additionally, the study revealed a positive correlation between employees’ PsyCap and POJ. The development of POJ enhances employees’ PsyCap and resilience, while leaders’ PsyCap may compensate for organizational POJ deficiencies. This study is among the first to explore PsyCap’s moderators, specifically analyzing leaders’ ages and POJ as factors influencing the cross-over effect of PsyCap. By identifying previously unrecognized moderators affecting the cross-over PsyCap effect, this research contributes significantly to the PsyCap literature.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERS’ AND FOLLOWERS’ PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL AND THE MEDIATING ROLE OF POS AND AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP

The paper aims at investigating the influence of improvisation on corporate entrepreneurship, understood as entrepreneurial orientation. Intuitively improvisation is closely connected to EO, surprisingly, there is very little theoretical and empirical evidence on that relation. The paper aims at closing that gap by empirically investigating the role that improvisation plays in enhancing corporate entrepreneurship. There is some empirical evidence on role of improvising in individual entrepreneurship (Hmieleski & Corbett, 2003; Baker, Miner & Eesley, 2003; Best & Gooderham, 2015). We use Hmieleski and Corbett’s (2006) framework of improvisation as three-dimensional construct (creativity-bricolage, pressure-stress, action-persistence) and entrepreneurial orientation as three-dimensional (innovativeness, proactiveness, risk taking) construct to investigate the impact of improvisation on individual components of EO. The research has been carried out on a sample of 581 senior managers from medium and large organisations. Improvisation has proven to have a moderate impact on entrepreneurial orientation. Moreover, different dimensions of improvisation influence components of EO in different way: creativity and bricolage have positive impact on innovativeness and proactiveness and pressure-stress has impact on propensity to take risk. The study has implications for the theory of corporate entrepreneurship by highlighting possible antecedents of EO. Moreover, the results are significant for business practice as they provide useful ways of promoting corporate entrepreneurship.