员工何以知难而退抑或迎难而上：基于特质激活理论的解释

摘要/Abstract

摘要： 职场挫折是一种普遍的组织现象，有的人知难而退而有的人却迎难而上。现有研究普遍认为，经历职场挫折会让员工产生威胁感知形成回避退缩等消极行为；相反，也有研究认为，职场挫折会激发员工挑战自我的潜能，展现出主动改变等积极行为。为厘清上述分歧，本文基于特质激活理论，沿着“情境×特质→评估→行为”的逻辑主线，探讨了面对挫折员工因何知难而退又何时迎难而上。本文采用情景实验法和多源多波配对的问卷调查法，研究结果揭示：①职场挫折与外部控制点的交互作用正向影响阻碍评估进而增强工作退缩行为；②职场挫折与内部控制点的交互作用正向影响挑战评估进而增强主动变革行为；③正价上级发展性反馈抑制职场挫折对外控型员工行为的激活作用，进而抑制挫折诅咒效应；④正价上级发展性反馈增强职场挫折对内控型员工行为的激活作用，进而放大挫折磨砺效应。研究解释了挫折诅咒效应和挫折磨砺效应的内在机制及其干预条件，表明员工的控制点特质会使其在解读职场挫折线索时会形成不同的认知评估，从而解释了职场中员工面对挫折形成截然不同行为的实际现象，也为组织干预职场挫折影响员工行为表现提供了理论解释和转化思路。

关键词: 职场挫折, 控制点, 认知评估, 工作退缩, 主动变革

Abstract: Frustration in the workplace is a common organizational phenomenon, but people react to it in very different ways, with some people retreating from difficulties while others facing them head on. Previous studies generally suggest that workplace frustration leads to employees perceiving threat, which results in negative behaviors such as avoidance and withdrawal. Conversely, some studies suggest that workplace frustration can stimulate employees to challenge their potential, resulting in positive behaviors such as taking charge. To reconcile these contradictions, this paper, based on trait activation theory, follows the logical path of ‘situation×trait → appraisal → behavior’ to explore why employees react differently when encountering frustration. This paper employs the situational experiment and the paired questionnaire survey of multi-source and multi-wave points. The research reveals that: (1) The interaction between workplace frustration and external locus of control positively influences withdrawal behavior through hindrance appraisal; (2) The interaction between workplace frustration and internal locus of control positively influences taking charge through challenge appraisal; (3) Positive supervisor developmental feedback weakens the positive moderating effect of workplace frustration on employees with an external locus of control; (4) Positive supervisor developmental feedback enhances the positive moderating effect of workplace frustration on employees with an internal locus of control. This study explains the internal mechanism and intervention conditions of the frustration curse and frustration sharpening effect, and shows that the locus of control traits form different cognitive appraisals when processing cues for work frustration, thus explaining the actual phenomenon that employees in the workplace face frustration to form completely different behaviors. It also provides a theoretical explanation and practical insights for the organization to intervene in the impact of work frustration on employee behavior.

Key words: workplace frustration, locus of control, cognitive appraisal, withdrawal behavior, taking charge

朱梦霆, 郑兴山. 员工何以知难而退抑或迎难而上：基于特质激活理论的解释[J]. 管理评论, 2025, 37(10): 126-138.

Zhu Mengting, Zheng Xingshan. Withdrawal or Challenge: The Curse and Sharpening Effects of Workplace Frustration[J]. Management Review, 2025, 37(10): 126-138.

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