Enhancing Innovative Work Behavior: Unleashing the Role of Affective Commitment, Emotional Intelligence, and Collectivism

Abstract

The present study explores the intricate relationship between affective commitment and innovative work behavior among service employees. It also investigates whether emotional intelligence mediates the association between affective commitment and innovative work behavior, and further examines the moderating role of collectivism in these connections. Data was collected from 450 service sector employees, using 366 valid responses for analysis. The analysis was conducted using SPSS 21. The specific mediation effects were investigated using bootstrapping with 5000 samples. And the significance of predictor coefficients was tested using hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The model tested the direct effect of affective commitment on innovative work behavior, yielding positive results. Additionally, findings revealed that emotional intelligence significantly mediated this relationship, and collectivism notably moderated the strength of these effects. The paper discusses the theoretical and practical implications, addressing limitations, and suggesting directions for future research.