Individual-level Paradoxes and Employee Performance Outcomes: Testing Sufficiency and Necessity Conditions across Croatian Organisations

Research within organisational paradox theory has garnered increasing attention in recent decades, yet studies from an individual-level perspective remain limited. Due to the limited empirical evidence on the relationship between individual-level paradoxes and employee performance, this study employs a multimethod, time-lagged, multisource research design in Croatian organisations. It aims to examine five theoretically and practically relevant individual-level paradoxes (individual ambidexterity, coopetitive personality, human capital paradox, job demands-resources fit, and paradoxical mindset) and explore their distinct connectedness with employee performance. To determine which individual-level paradoxes serve as sufficient and necessary conditions for employee performance, we applied Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). Our study’s findings indicate that individual ambidexterity is sufficient for enhancing employee performance. Conversely, the job demands-resources fit emerges as a necessary condition for achieving higher employee performance, supporting the notion that balancing job demands and resources fit is essential for optimal employee performance.