The Effect of Corporate Support Programs on Employees’ Innovative Behavior: A Cross-Cultural Study

Engelen, A.; Weinekotter, L.; Saeed, S.; Enke, S.

Abstract

This article establishes a theoretical model that sheds light on whether corporate support programs can foster employees’ innovative behavior across nations and which national cultural dimensions moderate this relationship. To validate the arguments empirically, this research consists of two sequential, independent studies. The first study uses secondary data from the 2011 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor special report. Analysis of responses from 11,560 full-time employees in 13 countries shows that the relationship between support and innovative behavior is more positive when the nation's levels of power distance and masculinity are low and individualism is strong. A second experimental study is conducted in Germany and China using employees’ individual behavior as the dependent variable and corporate support programs differentiated into three types of corporate support (providing time, providing budget, and providing advice) as the independent variable. Findings indicate that all three types of corporate support programs positively impact employees’ innovative behavior in the sample from Germany, at least indirectly via feasibility and desirability judgments as mediators, but no significant relationships in the sample from China. This study contributes to the research stream on employees’ innovative behavior and corporate support programs by adding national cultural properties as environmental factors. In addition, this study investigates the mediating effect of feasibility and desirability judgments between three types of corporate support programs and innovative behavior. This study also contributes to innovation research in general and to research on employees’ innovative behavior in particular by building and validating a multilevel model empirically.

Citation

Engelen, A., Weinekotter, L., Saeed, S., & Enke, S. (2018). The Effect of Corporate Support Programs on Employees’ Innovative Behavior: A Cross-Cultural Study. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(2), 230-253. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12386

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 26, 2017
• Online Publication Date: May 11, 2017
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jul 11, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: May 11, 2018
• Journal: Journal of Product Innovation Management
• Print ISSN: 0047-2506
• Electronic ISSN: 1478-6990
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 230-253
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12386
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1374225