Workplace digitalization and employee innovation behavior: Analysis from the employee perspective

We developed a two-stage moderated mediation model of proactive motivation and employee innovation proactiveness to explore the mechanisms and boundary conditions of how workplace digitalization perceptions influence employee innovation behavior. Through hierarchical regression analysis, we tested our hypotheses by surveying 385 manager–employee dyads in China. The results indicated that workplace digitalization was positively associated with innovation behavior through the mediator of employees’ proactive goal setting. Employees’ perception of labor rights protection enhanced the indirect relationship between workplace digitalization and innovation behavior. Conversely, when their perception of information privacy infringement was strong, the indirect relationship between workplace digitalization and innovation behavior was weaker. This study offers a new perspective for organizations to enhance innovation behavior through digitalization, deepening understanding of employee innovation behavior in the digital age.