Promoting employee innovation performance: Examining the role of self-efficacy and growth need strength

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of individual differences particularly self-efficacy (SE) and growth need strength (GNS) as antecedents of employee innovation performance (IP).

Using a sample of 354 employees in the United Arab Emirates service sector, the study used exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test the model for IP. The predictors of IP were SE (conceptualized as a three-factor construct including initiative, effort and persistence) and GNS.

SE-effort, SE-persistence and GNS had a significant direct effect on IP with SE-effort displaying strongest relationship, followed by SE-persistence and lastly GNS, while SE-initiative did not have a significant direct effect on IP.

The present study contributes to scant literature pertaining to the relationship of GNS with IP. It is the first study to examine both SE and GNS together in the same model for their impact on IP.