Psychological Capital, Job embeddedness, authentic leadership and innovative work behavior among employees in Public Universities in Uganda

Abstract

The current changes in the education sector, such as new teaching methods, require Universities as knowledge institutions to enhance employee innovative work behavior in order to thrive. There is a dearth of knowledge on how employee innovative behavior can be enhanced in University settings. This study aimed to establish the mediating effect of job embeddedness on the relationship between psychological capital and innovative work behavior as conditioned by authentic leadership. The specific objectives of the study are to determine the effect of psychological capital on innovative work behavior, and to establish the effect of job embeddedness on innovative work behavior. The study also sought to examine the mediating effect of job embeddedness between psychological capital and innovative work behavior, to determine the moderating effect of authentic leadership on the relationship between psychological capital and job embeddedness and to establish the moderating effect of authentic leadership on the indirect relationship between psychological capital and innovative work behavior through job embeddedness. The study was premised on the Conservation of Resources Theory, Broaden and Build Theory, and Social Exchange Theory. Out of the 5591 academic and administrative staff, the study scientifically drew a sample of 384 respondents using the Conchrans formula for sample size determination. The study used a positivist research orientation. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The data were checked for validity using the Content Validity Index and reliability using the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. The data collected was entered in the SPSS, cleaned and analyzed for correlation, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The data collected was analyzed using regression analysis. The control variables were gender, age, educational level and tenure. The results showed that only the respondents' education level significantly predicted innovative work behavior (β=0.17, p<.05). Regarding study objectives, the findings of the study revealed that: psychological capital predicts innovative work behavior (β=0.79, p<.05); job embeddedness predicts innovative work behavior (β=0.50, p<.05); and that job embeddedness partially mediates between psychological capital and innovative work behavior (β=0.39, p<.05). The study findings also revealed that authentic leadership moderates the relationship between psychological capital and job embeddedness (β= 0.16, p< .05); and that authentic leadership moderates the indirect relationship between psychological capital and innovative work behavior through job embeddedness (β=.07, p < .05). It was concluded that authentic leadership conditions the indirect relationship between psychological capital and innovative work behavior through job embeddedness. The study recommends that Universities design psychological capital intervention strategies to increase innovation capacity. Further research could replicate this study using longitudinal research design in a private University setting.