Scale development and validation of employee innovative behaviour
Caishuang Hu, Canghong WangPurpose
This project develops and validates a localised multidimensional scale measuring employee innovative behaviour (EIB) for Guangzhou high-tech firms, remedying defects of mainstream tools like the Team Climate Inventory (TCI), which ignore individual psychology and interpersonal networks amid China's collectivist corporate culture.
Design/methodology/approach
Following standard scale-building procedures, this research first performed a PRISMA-compliant qualitative meta-analysis to extract five core EIB antecedent dimensions. Preliminary items were formed via literature review and expert interviews, then screened by the Content Validity Index (CVI). Data from 824 staff of six local high-tech enterprises was split for exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Sequential tests including item screening, parallel analysis, reliability, convergent/discriminant validity and common method bias inspection were carried out. Structural equation modelling and hierarchical regression with creative problem-solving (CPS) as the outcome variable further examined the scale's predictive validity.
Findings
The finalised 21-item scale covers individual psychology, leadership, organisational climate, job characteristics and relational and social networks. Its overall Cronbach's a reaches 0.953, with each dimension meeting reliability standards, and the five-factor structure fits data better than rival models. All dimensions positively predict staff CPS, and social networks exert the strongest effect (ß = 0.324, p < 0.001).
Originality/value
As the first systematically verified EIB scale tailored to Chinese high-tech contexts, it supplements the group-oriented TCI by incorporating guanxi-based relational and individual factors, offering academics and managers a reliable instrument to assess multi-level drivers of employee innovation.