Individual Values, Psychological Contracts, and Innovative Work Behavior: A Comparison Between Employees from Israel and India

Aaron Cohen and Sari Erlich
University of Haifa

Cohen, A., & Erlich, S. (2015). Individual values, psychological contracts, and innovative work behavior: A comparison between employees from Israel and India. Business Creativity and the Creative Economy, 1(1), 61-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.18536/bcce.2015.07.1.1.08

Abstract

This study clarifies the antecedents of innovative work behavior—a question of interest to industrial psychologists and managers alike. The article examines the relationship between individual-level values, psychological contracts, psychological contract breach, and innovative work behavior (IWB). The sample comprised employees from the Israeli and Indian branches of a multinational high-tech organization. Questionnaires were distributed via the Internet and the employees were asked to complete the survey online. Of the 1,000 who were asked to participate, 188 usable questionnaires were returned, a 19% response rate. The findings show that individual values, particularly conformity and achievement, were related to IWB above and beyond the effect of demographic variables. They also show a stronger effect of individual values than psychological contracts and psychological contract breach.