Why do I contribute when I am an “insider”? A moderated mediation approach to perceived insider status and employee’s innovative behavior

Purpose The relationship between perceived insider status (PIS) and innovative behavior may be mediated by felt obligation. Then the relationship between felt obligation and innovative behavior may be moderated by job stress. At last, felt obligation may conditional mediate the relationship between PIS and innovative behavior when job stress at different level. The purpose of this paper is to test these hypotheses. Design/methodology/approach The authors tested the moderated mediation model with data from a sample of 529 supervisor-subordinate dyads from the People’s Republic of China. Employees were asked to evaluate their PIS, felt obligation, and job stress when in the workplace. Their innovative behavior was evaluated by their immediate supervisors. Findings Results suggest that PIS is positively related to employee’s innovative behavior, and felt obligation mediates this relationship. In addition, job stress moderates two stage relationships: one is to moderate the relationship between felt obligation and innovative behavior; the other is to moderate the whole mediation model. Practical implications In China, managers can treat some employees as family members and support them when they are in trouble so that the employees will perceive insider status. Let employees get the feeling of PIS maybe a good way to motivate them to contribute to the organization. In addition, managers should reduce the work load of some employees who are expected to be innovative. Then those employees will have much more spare time to engage in innovative behavior. Originality/value This research sheds light on the relationship between PIS and innovative behavior in a non-western context by testing the mediating mechanism guided by role identity and appropriateness framework, which is a way different from social exchange process.