How and When Does Job Autonomy Stimulate Employee Innovative Behavior? — The Mediating Role of Innovative Self-Efficacy and the Moderating Role of Extrinsic Incentives
Xuan Li
(Zhuhai College of Science and Technology,Zhuhai Guangdong, 518000)
Abstract: In today's rapidly changing business environment, stimulating Employee Innovative Behavior (EIB) is critical for organizations to gain sustainable competitive advantage. Although prior research has acknowledged the positive effect of Work Autonomy (WA) on EIB, the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions remain underexplored. Drawing upon Social Cognitive Theory, this study constructs a moderated mediation model to examine the mediating role of Innovation Self-Efficacy (ISE) in the relationship between WA and EIB, as well as the moderating role of External Incentives (EI) in this process. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted on survey data collected from 295 employees across multiple industries, including high-tech, IT, and service sectors. The results indicate that: (1) WA significantly and positively predicts EIB; (2) ISE fully mediates the relationship between WA and EIB; (3) EI significantly and positively moderates the relationship between ISE and EIB, such that the positive effect of ISE on EIB is stronger under high levels of external incentives, and EI moderates the mediating effect of ISE. These findings not only deepen our understanding of the process mechanisms through which work characteristics influence employee innovation, but also provide important practical implications for organizations to effectively stimulate employee innovation by optimizing job design and incentive systems. Keywords:Work Autonomy; Employee Innovative Behavior; Innovation Self-Efficacy; External Incentives; Social Cognitive Theory
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