The Roles of Cognitive Appraisal, Work Engagement, and Job Burnout in the Relationship Between Job Autonomy and Innovative Work Behavior

Abstract

Engaging in innovative work behaviors (IWB) can improve the productivity and sustainability of organizations (Lee & Hong, 2014). At the same time, engaging in these behaviors can provide employees a sense of purpose and meaning in their work, which may increase their motivation (Chen et al., 2022). This study examined the roles of cognitive appraisal, work engagement (WE), and job burnout (JB) as serial mediators in the relationship between job autonomy (JA) and IWB for health and human service professionals (HHSPs). A convenience sample of 607 HHSPs accessed a survey on Qualtrics via a link provided through email and social media and responded to sociodemographic and job-related items, as well as items measuring JA, cognitive appraisal, WE, JB, IWB, and work innovation (WI). Results showed that cognitive appraisal, WE, and JB mediated the relationship between JA and IWB, while WI accounted for variation in IWB that could not be explained by the other variables. To our knowledge, this is the first study to have examined cognitive appraisal and JB as mediators and WI as a covariate in the JA-IWB relationship. The findings provided new knowledge about how cognitive appraisal and well- being outcomes (WE and JB) influence the dynamic JA-IWB relationship, which can affect HHSPs’ propensity to engage in IWB.