A dark side to psychological ownership: Evidence of unintended negative job performance outcomes in the Chinese hotel industry

Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, this study investigates the mechanism through which employees' psychological ownership influences their job performance using a sample of 734 employees working in the Chinese hotel industry. The results reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between psychological ownership and employee job performance. Job engagement is identified as an intervening variable that mediates this curvilinear relationship. The results further indicate that the magnitude of perceived environmental threat moderates this curvilinear relationship. The findings offer a new perspective for advancing our understanding of the “dark side” effects of psychological ownership and provide valuable management insights for hoteliers seeking to enhance employee work outcomes such as job performance through the promotion of employees’ psychological ownership.