Career resilience and innovation performance: the role of learning from failures and inclusive leadership

Purpose Based on conservation of resources theory, this study investigates the relationship between career resilience and innovation performance, examines the mediating role of learning from failures and explores the moderating effect of inclusive leadership. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 408 full-time employees across 76 teams through a three-wave time-lagged survey. Path analysis and Monte Carlo method were employed to test the hypotheses. Findings Results showed that employee career resilience has a positive influence on innovation performance. Learning from failures mediates the relationship between career resilience and innovation performance. Moreover, inclusive leadership strengthens the positive relationship between career resilience and learning from failures, thereby indirectly amplifying the beneficial effect of career resilience on innovation performance. Originality/value This study draws on conservation of resources theory to examine how career resilience fosters innovation following experiences of innovation failure. It reveals learning from failures as a key mediating mechanism and identifies inclusive leadership as a contextual resource that strengthens this process. By integrating personal and contextual resources, the study offers a nuanced understanding of how and when career resilience leads to innovation.