Innovative work behavior among health professionals in Ghana

Abstract

Purpose – We examined the job demands-resources (JD-R) model among Ghanaian healthcare professionals. We aimed to augment the understanding of employee innovative behavior antecedents by assessing potential job demands–resources correlates using Ghanaian health sector data. Design/methodology/approach – We utilized an online survey to collect data from 422 health workers in Ghana. We assessed the relevant factors of resources, engagement and innovative work behavior (IWB) via a self-reported survey. Structural equation modeling examined the direct and indirect relationships between variables to test the hypotheses. Findings – After establishing acceptable measurement properties, structural modeling revealed that the JD-R framework explained 53.2% of the variance in IWB. Job resources positively predicted work engagement, which in turn enhanced innovation. Uniquely, job demands moderated the resource-engagement linkage, such that subjective workload attenuated their relationship. Practical implications – For practice, the findings suggest that healthcare institutions must provide job resources to drive engagement while considering the workloads’ detrimental interactive effects. Originality/value – The findings contribute to the understanding of the moderating effect of job demands, revealing that Ghanaian healthcare professionals’ subjective workload experience weakens the positive effects of resourcing on their motivational engagement. These results advance theoretical understanding of the JD-R model’s boundary conditions.