The impact of a proactive personality on innovative work behavior: the role of work engagement and transformational leadership

Abstract

PurposeThrough the lens of social exchange theory, this study aims to assess the relationship between proactive personality and innovative work behavior by incorporating the mediating role of work engagement and moderating role of transformational leadership between proactive personality and work engagement.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 259 employees working in Pakistani small-medium enterprises (SMEs). The purposive sampling technique was used to collect data. For hypothesis testing, Preacher and Hayes process macro was employed.FindingsConfirmatory factor analysis verified the distinctiveness of the variables used in this study. The findings show that a proactive personality had a positive influence on innovative work behavior directly and indirectly through work engagement, and transformational leadership positively moderates the relationship between a proactive personality and work engagement in such a way that with high transformational leadership behavior relationship will be strengthened.Originality/valueThis study has addressed three research questions that have been left unanswered in the literature. The initial research question is “how proactive personality enhances innovative work behavior?” This study found that proactive personality enhanced innovative work behavior. The second research question is “what are the suggested mechanisms for proactive personality to promote innovative work behavior?” This study has proven that a proactive personality enhanced innovative work behavior through an important mediating mechanism, namely work engagement. Finally, the third question of the study is “does transformational leadership moderate the relationship between proactive personality and work engagement? The study shows that transformational leadership positively moderates between proactive personality and work engagement.

The Impact of Authentic Leadership on Innovative Work Behavior: Mediating Roles of Proactive Personality and Employee Engagement

“…Organizational competitive performance and success is aligned to proactive personality and innovative work behavior (Yamak and Eyupoglu, 2021). Build innovative work environment, proactive personality is a noteworthy attribute, on the basis of proactiveness is capable of being able to handle change business atmosphere after analyzing a complex situation or change in advance (Mubarak et al, 2021). Thus, this study proposed the following hypothesis; H3: Proactive personality is positively related to innovative work behavior.…”

“…The past research verified the association between proactive personality and innovative work behavior (Li et al, 2016;Mubarak et al, 2021). Proactive personality as a mediator between authentic leadership and innovative work behavior is empirically less examined in the prior literature.…”

“…Authentic leadership defines as a "leadership style that focuses on transparent and ethical leader behavior and inspires open sharing information needed to make effective and efficient decisions while accepting follower's efforts" (Niu et al, 2018). Prior study argued that innovative work behavior defined as the employee's attempt to offer new ideas, innovation and also support novelty to achieve organizational goals (Mubarak et al, 2021). Existing studies examined the factors that influence employee innovative work behavior (Li et al, 2016), personality traits (Hu Y. et al, 2018), servant leadership (Khan et al, 2021), and leadermember exchange (Zuberi and Khattak, 2021) in the context of behavioral context.…”

“…Yamak and Eyupoglu (2021) found a significant effect of authentic leadership on innovative work behavior in the context of the banking sector. Similarly, Mubarak et al (2021) argued that there is a positive correlation between proactive personality and innovative work behavior. Moreover, Hu Y. et al (2018) suggest that future researchers could take proactive personality and work engagement as a mediator to explore the innovative work behavior in the context other sectors.…”

The Influence Mechanism of Supervisor Developmental Feedback on the Enactment of Employees’ Creative Ideas: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model Based on Psychological Empowerment

“…For instance, Eva et al (2019) emphasized that supervisor feedback stimulates employees’ innovative behaviors by reducing employees’ sense of psychological contract violation or enhancing employees’ work engagement. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Job Demands-Resources Model, Afsar et al (2020) and Mubarak et al (2021) demonstrated that work engagement is a pivotal catalyzing factor in boosting innovative behavior.…”