The Impact of Telework on Individual Innovative Behaviors and the Mediating Effects of Individual Collaboration: A Demands-And-Resources Perspective

Abstract

Despite the rise of telework following the pandemic, many businesses have and are continuing to mandate return-to-office (RTO) policies due to their persistent concerns about the effectiveness of telework. Businesses remain reluctant to acknowledge the potential benefits of telework, even in the face of empirical evidence that suggests improved employee innovative behavior through greater autonomy and flexibility. However, global work trends suggest that telework is here to stay; therefore, identifying why, how, and when telework influences employee innovative behavior is crucial. Drawing on the Job Demands and Resources (JD-R) model, this dissertation adopts a demands-and-resources perspective to understand the impact of telework on individual innovative behavior through the mediating effect of collaboration at individual-level. Based on the JD-R model, the research defines two novel and distinct constructs, namely telework demands and telework resources, and develops and validates measurement scales for these constructs in Study 1. Using the newly developed measurement scales, Study 2 (n = 389) empirically examines the impact of telework demands and telework resources on individual innovative behavior via collaboration. The findings reveal that telework demands hinder both collaboration and innovative behavior at the individual level. Telework resources appears as “too-much-of-a-good-thing” and fails to demonstrate a positive impact on collaboration and innovative behavior, including the buffering effect on demands. However, resources become valuable for collaboration and innovative behavior in the presence of high telework intensity. Therefore, both Study 1 and 2 make valuable contributions to theory and research. The study contributes to resolving the debate about the effectiveness of telework by explaining why, how, and when telework influences individual innovative behavior. Further, by incorporating nonwork demands and resources, this investigation extends the JD-R model in the context of telework beyond a traditional co-located work environment. In addition to theoretical contributions, this research carries important implications for HR managers and line managers in creating a collaborative and innovative work environment through the effective management of work and nonwork telework demands and resources.