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<p>As a workplace stressor, illegitimate tasks exert adverse impacts on employees in various ways. While recent studies have begun to explore the dual nature of illegitimate task and reveal its opposing effects on the same outcome, it remains unclear under what conditions and through which mechanisms the task produce divergent behavioral responses among employees. This research examines the dual potential of illegitimate task through the lens of cognitive appraisal theory of stress. To test the suggested conceptual model, we gathered and analyzed the data of 275 employees across six enterprises in southwestern China. The findings indicate that employees high in need for achievement often utilize approach coping strategies when encountering illegitimate tasks, thereby facilitating proactive behavior. Contrarily, those low in need for achievement tend to employ avoidance coping strategies in the face of such tasks, which result in procrastination behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are provided.</p>

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Employees’ response to illegitimate tasks: the role of need for achievement and coping strategies

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月28日

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  • Jian Tian,
  • Hongxia Lin,
  • Bao Cheng,
  • Mengye Chen

摘要

As a workplace stressor, illegitimate tasks exert adverse impacts on employees in various ways. While recent studies have begun to explore the dual nature of illegitimate task and reveal its opposing effects on the same outcome, it remains unclear under what conditions and through which mechanisms the task produce divergent behavioral responses among employees. This research examines the dual potential of illegitimate task through the lens of cognitive appraisal theory of stress. To test the suggested conceptual model, we gathered and analyzed the data of 275 employees across six enterprises in southwestern China. The findings indicate that employees high in need for achievement often utilize approach coping strategies when encountering illegitimate tasks, thereby facilitating proactive behavior. Contrarily, those low in need for achievement tend to employ avoidance coping strategies in the face of such tasks, which result in procrastination behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are provided.