Linking innovation-oriented employer branding to employee innovative work behaviour: the mediating roles of open communication and job crafting opportunities

Purpose The study examines how employees' perceptions of innovation-oriented employer branding relate to innovative work behaviour (IWB) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Drawing on signalling theory, this study investigates how this relationship operates through two workplace mechanisms: open communication and job crafting opportunities. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 524 employees across Greek SMEs. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test a model linking innovation-oriented employer branding to IWB via open communication and job crafting opportunities. Findings The relationship between innovation-oriented employer branding and IWB is partially explained by perceived open communication and job crafting opportunities, which help explain the link between employer branding perceptions and employee IWB. Originality/value The study advances employer branding research by conceptualising innovation-oriented employer branding as an internal employee perception associated with IWB. It further identifies perceived open communication and job crafting opportunities as key pathways through which employer branding signals are associated with employee IWB.