Person-job fit and innovative work behavior: the mediating role of job engagement

Abstract

Individuals’ actions are of crucial importance for continuous innovation and improvement. Innovative work behavior is an individual’s behavior that aims to achieve the initiation and intentional introduction of new and useful ideas, processes, products or procedures.Person-job fit is the match of the requirements of a job with the personality, knowledge, skills and competency of a person. The existence of person-job fit affects innovative work behavior positively. In addition, individuals with job engagement are more successful because they do their responsibilities at work with high energy and performance and with participating physically, cognitively and emotionally in their work. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of job engagement on the relationship between person-job fit and innovative work behavior.Data were gathered from three, four and five-star hotels serving in Cappadocia region. Data were collected using a questionnaire and 243 applicable questionnaire forms were gathered at the end of the study. Structural equation modeling was implemented in the study to empirically test the proposed research model. The study found that person-job fit made a direct and indirect impact on employees’ innovative work behaviors. Results from structural equation modeling supported that job engagement partially mediated the relationship between person-job fit and innovative work behaviors.