Fostering Innovation at Work: Investigating the Interplay of Workplace Support, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and Change Resistance

Abstract

Despite of several studies conducted on cultivating innovation in workplaces, scarce literature existed on the precise systems or procedures.  This study aims to device a mechanism for the enhancement of innovative work behavior of employees in the IT sector of Pakistan. Based on 446 personnel working in the 250 IT firms in Lahore, the study examined the impact of perceived workplace support on the employee innovative work behavior through the mediating role of individual entrepreneurial orientation and employee resistance to change. Utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM), the empirical findings reveal that perceived workplace support fosters individual entrepreneurial orientation and mitigates employee resistance to change which in turn ultimately promote employee innovative work behavior. Grounded in social exchange theory, entrepreneurial theory, change management theory and JD-R model, the study have valuable insights for HR managers and policy makers that they can design strategies for establishing supportive workplaces uplifting entrepreneurial orientation and alleviating resistance to change in order to enhance innovative work behavior.