Factors Affecting Innovative Work Behavior of Management Undergraduates of the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Abstract

People who display innovative work behavior have opportunities to explore knowledge related to innovation and use it to develop their competencies and to gain new insights. There is a research gap in the Sri Lankan context regarding investigate the associated factors which affect the innovative work behavior of the management undergraduates in Sri Lanka. Thus, the current study was initiated to address this gap by examining the factors affecting innovative work behavior of management undergraduates. By drawing from rich scholarly history, the researcher identified main four factors which affects the innovative work behavior of the employing undergraduates: learning goal orientation, self-efficacy, job autonomy and transformational leadership. This study followed quantitative approach and used the deductive methods of researching. The primary data of the study was gathered by distributing 160 survey questionnaires that met the acceptable level of validity and reliability. The study was conducted by using convenience sampling method. Type of investigation was correlation, and it was cross-sectional on time horizon. The unit of analysis was individual level. Management undergraduates who are employing in full time and part time in the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka were considered as the respondents in this study. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and simple regression were applied to analyze data. Findings of the current study support the empirically justified conception that learning goal orientation, self-efficacy, job autonomy and transformational leadership are strong predictors of innovative work behavior. Moreover, findings of the current study generate implications especially for undergraduates, managers, and future researchers.