When Innovative Work Behavior Matters: The Moderating Role of Muslim Religious Belief

Abstract

As evidenced by the literature, organizational justice has been extensively researched in developed nations rather than developing nations. Nonetheless, it is considered culturally sensitive due to the possibility that cultural factors would influence its connection with the outcome variable. As a result, research on organizational justice's effect(s) in developing nations is essential. Similarly, as the role of human resources has grown in importance, numerous studies have focused on organizational innovation. On the other hand, individual-level innovation has received less attention, although individuals generate and analyze innovative ideas. In this study, we define innovative work behavior as an individual's capacity for innovation, emphasizing the importance of persons in innovation. Surprisingly, the majority of research on innovative work behavior has been conducted in the manufacturing industry. This study responds to a research call and investigates innovative work practices in the service industry. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between organizational justice and innovative work behavior in the service sector of a culturally Muslim developing country, Pakistan, by examining the moderating effects of perceived organizational support and Muslim religious belief (an indigenous cultural perspective). The study used the theory of planned behavior to understand the underlying relationships between variables. Similarly, it assesses the variables that strengthen or weaken the relationship mentioned above. The study has three objectives. First, to examine the relationship between organizational justice and innovative work behavior. Second, to evaluate the moderating role of perceived organizational support. Third, to assess whether perceived organizational support and Muslim religious belief incombine (using three-way interaction) moderate this relationship. This quantitative study collects data using a cross-sectional survey approach. The questionnaire was e-mailed to graduates of Karachi-based schools with a Master's degree in business. Before sending emails, five business schools were randomly picked from the Sindh higher education commission's directory published by the chartered inspection and evaluation committee. We contacted the alumni offices of these business institutions in Karachi to get graduation directories. The alumni office was informed of the research's objective. One thousand randomly chosen MBAs were contacted through e-mail and encouraged to participate in this research using these directories. The e-mail included an invitation to participate in the study, defined its aim, addressed potential participants' concerns about confidentiality and anonymity, and explained how and why they were contacted. We received 738 affirmative replies from graduates who were eager to participate and serve in the service sector. Finally, a total of 528 valid responses were gathered for statistically testing drawn hypotheses. Hierarchical regression is used in this study. We evaluated each model independently— the moderation model (interaction between organizational support and organizational justice) and a moderated moderation model (interaction between organizational justice, organizational support, and Muslim religious belief). Additionally, interactions were exhibited using a conditional effect of +/-1 standard deviation(s). The empirically supported hypotheses demonstrate that organizational justice and innovative work behavior are associated with unique moderated relation(s). Finally, the study presents policy implications and identifies many promising paths for further research.