Influencing factors and mechanisms of sustainable employee innovative behavior in Chinese technology-based enterprises

Abstract

With the deepening of the globalization and the rapid advancement of technology, competition in the international market is becoming increasingly fierce, posing severe survival challenges for technology-based enterprises. Technological innovation is the key factor in maintaining the competitiveness of these enterprises. However, due to the long development cycles and high costs involved, they face significant difficulties in achieving sustainable innovation. Particularly in the field of high and new technology, technology blockades and monopolies have intensified competition for innovation resources. Meanwhile, internal management and evaluation mechanism within enterprises impose further constraints. In particular, technical professionals in Chinese technology-based enterprises often prioritize short-term results while neglecting long-term technological innovation. This phenomenon weakens enterprises’ ability to sustain innovation and creates greater challenges for their long-term development. Employees are the driving force behind innovation in technology-based enterprises, and each employee has unique psychological characteristics, knowledge backgrounds, cognitive abilities, and attitudes toward technological innovation. Therefore, effectively stimulating employees’ potential for sustainable innovation and enhancing their long-term innovative behavior are crucial to improving enterprise innovation efficiency. Addressing this issue has become an urgent priority for Chinese technology-based enterprises. This study integrates theoretical and empirical methods to conduct an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms by which five factors—psychological capital, social capital, perceived organizational support, work engagement, and error management climate—affect sustainable employee innovative behavior. A total of 507 questionnaires were collected from employees of Chinese technology-based enterprises. The results indicate that psychological capital, social capital and perceived organizational support all have significant positive effects on both work engagement and sustainable employee innovative behavior. Moreover, psychological capital indirectly contributes to sustainable employee innovative behavior through the mediating role of work engagement. Similarly, social capital and perceived organizational support positively influence work engagement and, in turn, indirectly promote sustainable employee innovative behavior. Additionally, an inclusive error management climate strengthens the positive impact of work engagement on sustainable employee innovative behavior, further enhancing employees’ performance in innovation activities. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for human resource management and organizational innovation management in Chinese technology-based enterprises. The study recommends that these enterprises enhance employees’ psychological capital and social capital, strengthen perceived organizational support, and foster an inclusive error management climate to promote work engagement and sustainable employee innovative behavior. By doing so, they can improve their innovative capacity and market competitiveness.