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Contextual work design and employee innovative work behavior: When does autonomy matter?

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  • Christian P Theurer
  • Andranik Tumasjan
  • Isabell M Welpe

Abstract

In environments experiencing fast technological change in which innovative performance is expected, work design research has found that the degree of autonomy positively predicts behavioral and attitudinal work outcomes. Because extant work design research has tended to examine the direct and mediating effects of autonomy on work outcomes such as job satisfaction, examinations of more situational elements and the degree to which the organizational context strengthens or weakens this relationship has been neglected. This study, therefore, takes a context-contingent perspective to investigate the degree to which psychological climate dimensions such as supervisor support, organizational structure and organizational innovation moderate the effects of autonomy (work scheduling autonomy, work methods autonomy, decision-making autonomy) on employee perceived innovative work behavior (IWB). Using a conjoint experiment based on 9,440 assessments nested within 1,180 employees, it was found that all autonomy dimensions had a significant direct effect on employee perceived IWB. Contrary to the Hypotheses, the multi-level analysis did not reveal any moderating effect of the climate dimensions on the relationship between autonomy and employee IWB. This study provides a context-contingent view for the features of work design and gives a more detailed analysis of autonomy, which has previously been seen primarily as a unidimensional construct.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian P Theurer & Andranik Tumasjan & Isabell M Welpe, 2018. "Contextual work design and employee innovative work behavior: When does autonomy matter?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-35, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0204089
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204089
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    1. Ali Bai & Morteza Vahedian, 2023. "Beyond the Screen: Safeguarding Mental Health in the Digital Workplace Through Organizational Commitment and Ethical Environment," Papers 2311.02422, arXiv.org.
    2. Maximilian Trommer & Hildegard Schaeper & Gregor Fabian, 2021. "KWReq—a new instrument for measuring knowledge work requirements of higher education graduates," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 55(1), pages 1-24, December.
    3. Florence Nande & Marie-Laure Weber & Stéphanie Bouchet, 2022. "Exploring success conditions for innovative performance through Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA): does job autonomy matter?," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1257-1277, December.
    4. Hanan S. AlEssa & Christopher M. Durugbo, 2022. "Understanding innovative work behaviour of women in service firms," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 16(4), pages 825-862, December.
    5. Hanan S. AlEssa & Christopher M. Durugbo, 2022. "Systematic review of innovative work behavior concepts and contributions," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(4), pages 1171-1208, December.
    6. Anthony C Waddimba & David C Mohr & Howard B Beckman & Mark M Meterko, 2020. "Physicians’ perceptions of autonomy support during transition to value-based reimbursement: A multi-center psychometric evaluation of six-item and three-item measures," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(4), pages 1-29, April.

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