Withdrawal or Challenge: The Curse and Sharpening Effects of Workplace Frustration

Abstract

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

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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