Job embeddedness and employee enactment of innovation-related work behaviours

Abstract

Purpose In a highly competitive globalised environment, the innovation behaviour of employees plays a key role in the economic viability and competitive advantage of organisations. In this context, developing the understanding of innovation work behaviour is important for the field of individual innovation and this is the focus of the study. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a survey from 549 employees in organisations operating in four major business centres in South Africa. Findings On-the-job embeddedness was positively and significantly related to innovation behaviours by employees in organisations operating in diverse industries. Consistent with the view that small organisations have a “behavioural” innovation advantage over larger organisations, the size of the organisation moderated the positive relationship between on-the-job embeddedness and innovation behaviours. On-the-job embeddedness was more positively related to innovation behaviours in small organisations than in larger organisations. Practical implications Employees who are highly embedded in their jobs (but not necessarily their communities) are more likely to enact innovation behaviours than employees who are not similarly embedded. Human resource management professionals and line managers can potentially foster employee innovation behaviours through adopting strategies aimed at positively influencing the fit, links and sacrifice dimensions of on-the-job embeddedness. Originality/value The study contributes to theoretical and empirical expansion of job embeddedness (JE) by examining: how work and non-work forces that attach employees to their organisations influence their propensity to enact innovation behaviours; and how organisation size moderates the relationship between JE and innovation behaviours. The results will help managers who wish to foster innovation.

Factors Affecting Staff Turnover of Young Academics: Job Embeddedness and Creative Work Performance in Higher Academic Institutions

“…Retaining talented faculty members is important for universities to enhance the institutions capacity in response to the changing dynamics of research and higher education globally (Coetzer et al, 2018). But recently, attracting and retaining talented young teaching staff has become progressively challenging as a result of changing social, economic, demographic, and psychological trends (Dechawatanapaisal, 2018a).…”

Ambidextrous Relationships and Social Capability as Employee Well-Being: The Secret Sauce for Research and Development and Sustainable Innovation Performance

“…Most investigations have been developed usually in one sector that we can qualify as of medium or high technological profile, i.e., where a greater intensity in knowledge predominates (medium or high tech). We have obtained a population of highly innovative firms from 14 different sectors [20]. Our model can be tested in different industrial sectors, which generates greater variability and richness in the obtained results.…”

“…We must point out that the firms in our study belong to 14 different industrial sectors [20]. All firms are highly innovative because they have received funding from the Spanish government during the last five years for the development of R&D projects but, depending on the industrial sector, it is easy or difficult to manage the relationships to achieve the innovation.…”

“…Most investigations have been developed usually in one sector that we can qualify as of medium or high technological profile, i.e., where a greater intensity in knowledge predominates (medium or high tech). In this study, we have obtained a population of highly innovative firms from 15 very different sectors (agriculture and livestock, manufacturing, power and gas supply, water supply and pollution, building, vehicle trade and repair, transport and storage, catering, information and communication, housing, scientific activities, administrative activities, health activities, and other services) [20]. These firms have received funding from the Spanish government for the development of R&D projects in the last five years.…”

Political Skill and Role Overload as Antecedents of Innovative Work Behavior in the Public Sector

“…A further area of interest, from a HRM perspective, are findings showing aspects of job design also to have effects. This includes job autonomy (Axtell et al, 2000), job challenge (De Jong & Kemp, 2003), task interdependence, decision autonomy (Cerne et al, 2017; van der Vegt & Janssen, 2003), and job embeddedness (Coetzler, Chutarat, Poisat, Redmond, & Standing, 2018).…”