How does humble leadership influence employee improvisation? A motivational perspective

Abstract In the era of variability, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, organizations must improvise to deal with emergencies. Drawing on the proactive motivation model, we explored the connection between humble leadership and employees’ improvisation, and its mechanism and boundary conditions. The participants were sourced from various enterprises located in Shanghai, Shandong, Heilongjiang, Hainan, and other regions. Through a scenario-based simulation experiment (N = 91) and a questionnaire survey (N = 217), we derived five key findings. First, humble leadership positively affects employee improvisation. Employees’ positive emotions mediated the relationship, while both positive employee emotions and leader–member exchanges play a chain-mediating role. Moreover, power distance orientation negatively moderates the promotion effect. Finally, the indirect effect of humble leadership on improvisation via positive employee emotion is stronger for employees with low power distance orientations. Our study primarily focuses on individual-level improvisation, which enriches the knowledge of the connection between leadership style and improvised behaviors while also expanding upon the proactive motivation model framework. Additionally, practical insights are provided for promoting improvisation

Gut microbiota regulates postprandial GLP-1 response via ileal bile acid-TGR5 signaling

ABSTRACTThe gut microbiota interacts with intestinal epithelial cells through microbial metabolites to regulate the release of gut hormones. We investigated whether the gut microbiota affects the postprandial glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) response using antibiotic-treated mice and germ-free mice. Gut microbiome depletion completely abolished postprandial GLP-1 response in the circulation and ileum in a lipid tolerance test. Microbiome depletion did not influence the GLP-1 secretory function of primary ileal cells in response to stimulators in vitro, but dramatically changed the postprandial dynamics of endogenous bile acids, particularly ω-muricholic acid (ωMCA) and hyocholic acid (HCA). The bile acid receptor Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5) but not farnesoid X receptor (FXR), participated in the regulation of postprandial GLP-1 response in the circulation and ileum, and ωMCA or HCA stimulated GLP-1 secretion via TGR5. Finally, fecal microbiota transplantation or ωMCA and HCA supplementation restored postprandial GLP-1 response. In conclusion, gut microbiota is indispensable for maintaining the postprandial GLP-1 response specifically in the ileum, and bile acid (ωMCA and HCA)-TGR5 signaling is involved in this process. This study helps to understand the essential interplay between the gut microbiota and host in regulating postprandial GLP-1 response and opens the foundation for new therapeutic targets