Psychological Capital, Autonomous Motivation and Innovative Behavior: A Study Aimed at Employees in Social Networks

Abstract

The present study investigates the relationship between positive psychological capital (PsyCap) and innovative work behavior (IWB), as mediated by autonomous motivation and participative leadership moderation. The study was conducted on a sample of 246 employees from various public and private organizations, recruited through different social networks. The moderated mediation analysis provided evidence about the impact of employees’ PsyCap on their innovative behavior at work. This behavior will be higher when individual factors (PsyCap) and social factors (participative leadership) interact with one of the most self-determined forms of motivation. Our findings highlight the importance of the individual’s positive psychological capital in activating the resources and motivation, necessary to develop innovative behavior in employees, thus achieving organizational success in today’s dynamic and competitive business environment. The results also confirmed the moderating effect of participative leadership on the relationship between autonomous motivation and innovative behavior of employees, supporting that the relationship will be stronger when participative leadership is higher. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, as well as limitations and suggestions for future studies.

The impacts of learning motivation, emotional engagement and psychological capital on academic performance in a blended learning university course

“…These findings reveal a noteworthy positive correlation between intrinsic learning motivation and learning outcomes, aligning with prior research (Fredricks and McColskey, 2012;Lazowski and Hulleman, 2016). Similarly, the observed positive impact of emotional engagement on college students' learning outcomes is consistent with earlier conclusions from research (Raver, 2002;Bierman et al, 2008;Liew et al, 2008;Engels et al, 2021;Hasnine et al, 2023). In the blended learning environment, the psychological capital of college students has a significant impact on the learning effect of college students, which is in alignment with previous research conclusions (Jafri, 2013).…”

“…Previous studies have found motivation as a mediator. For example, Autonomous motivation mediates the relationship between individual psychological capital and innovative work behavior (Blasco-Giner et al, 2023). Intrinsic motivation was measured as a significant mediator between psychological capital and study engagement (Siu et al, 2014).…”

“…Studies have shown that emotional engagement correlated to educational outcomes, or positively related with academic performance and learning satisfaction (Connell et al, 1994;Fredricks et al, 2004;Halverson and Graham, 2019), there are a few studies on the emotional engagement's impact on learning achievement, and some of them find that emotional engagement plays a vital role in predicting academic achievement (Raver, 2002;Bierman et al, 2008;Liew et al, 2008;Engels et al, 2021;Hasnine et al, 2023). Emotional engagement influences academic performance through behavioral shaping as a mediator (Geertshuis, 2019), or effect on learning achievement by the interaction with cognitive engagement (Liu et al, 2022).…”

“…From the perspective of social psychology, learning motivations, emotional engagement, and psychological capital originated from positive psychology, usually considered to impact academic performance positively. Learning motivation, especially intrinsic motivation, is positively correlated with academic outcomes measured by scores or grades (Schunk et al, Liu et al 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1357936 Frontiers in Psychology 02 frontiersin.org 2008; Lazowski and Hulleman, 2016;Alkış and Taşkaya Temizel, 2018); Emotional engagement is considered to directly affect learning outcomes or indirectly affect by shaping behavioral and cognitive engagement (Raver, 2002;Bierman et al, 2008;Liew et al, 2008;Engels et al, 2021;Hasnine et al, 2023). Psychological capital, as an individual's positive psychological state, leads to positive organizational behavior, and has a positive relationship with academic performance (Jafri, 2013;Khajavy et al, 2019;Carmona-Halty et al, 2021;King and Caleon, 2021;Slåtten et al, 2023).…”

Impact of Leadership Style on Employees’ Motivation: The Contribution of Psychological Capital and Employees’ Engagement

“…Enhanced self-efficacy contributes to a belief in one's capabilities, fostering a proactive and motivated approach to tasks. Optimism cultivates a positive outlook, encouraging employees to approach challenges enthusiastically rather than Furthermore, the findings also confirmed a positive effect of PC and EM, which is supported by domain studies (Çavuş and Gökçen, 2015;Schuckert et al, 2018;Simons and Buitendach, 2013;Siu et al, 2014;Blasco-Giner et al, 2023). These results reflect that higher self-efficacy, optimism, resilience, and hope within the PC framework create a conducive atmosphere for motivated behaviour.…”