Innovative work behavior of intrapreneurs: a matter of belonging and support?

Purpose The manager is to innovation what innovation is to organizations. Driven by this axiom, researchers and practitioners have turned their attention to the drivers of innovative work behavior of managers. In this study, we investigate whether organizational-based job attitudes (workplace belongingness and management support) are related to the innovative work behavior of managers directly or through the underlying mechanism of intrapreneurial intention. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from 201 managers working in various industries in Kosovo. Using structural equation modeling, we tested how management support (MS) and workplace belongingness (WB) are related to innovative work behavior (IWB) as a direct relationship and mediated by intrapreneurial intentions (INI). Findings The study's findings reveal that the relationship between workplace belongingness and innovative work behavior is positive and significant. The relationship between management support and innovative work behavior is insignificant, but intrapreneurial intention fully mediates this relationship. The strongest relationship attested is between intrapreneurial intention and innovative work behavior, supporting the attitude-intention-behavior nexus. Research limitations/implications Our study is limited to a single-country, cross-sectional study, which hinders generalization and is susceptible to reverse causation. Originality/value Our study sheds light on the attitude-intention-behavior chain and provides insights for fostering innovative work behavior among managers. This is the first study to test the influence of management support and workplace belongingness as attitudes on innovative work behavior of managers from the lens of place attachment theory and perceived organizational support theory.