How school principals’ motivating style stimulates teachers’ job crafting: A self-determination theory approach

This study aimed to shed light on how school principals’ motivating style (need-supportive and need-thwarting) influences teachers’ job crafting (approach and avoidance crafting). Drawing on the dual-process model within self-determination theory as an explanatory framework, we examined the mediating role of psychological needs (need satisfaction and frustration) and work motivation (autonomous and controlled motivation) as motivational mechanisms in these relationships. Data were collected from 453 Chinese primary and secondary school teachers. Structural equation modeling analyses showed that need satisfaction and autonomous motivation partially mediated the relationship between school principals’ need-supporting styles and teachers’ approach job crafting (“bright” motivating pathway). Need frustration and controlled motivation fully mediated the relationship between school principals’ need-supporting styles and teachers’ avoidance job crafting (a cross-path). Moreover, school principals’ need-thwarting styles are positively and indirectly related to teachers’ avoidance job crafting through need frustration and controlled motivation (“dark” motivating pathway) and indirectly related to teachers’ approach job crafting through need satisfaction and autonomous motivation (a cross-path). This study extended the dual-process of self-determination theory to explain the leader motivating styles–job crafting relationship and motivational mechanisms underlying these relations.