The Influence of Personal Motivation and Innovative Climate on Innovative Behavior: Evidence from University Students in China

Qiwen Dai; Yanhong Dai; Chunyu Zhang; Zhiming Meng; Zeyu Chen; Senlin Hu

doi:10.2147/PRBM.S381494

The Influence of Personal Motivation and Innovative Climate on Innovative Behavior: Evidence from University Students in China

Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2022 Aug 24:15:2343-2355. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S381494. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Qiwen Dai¹, Yanhong Dai¹, Chunyu Zhang¹, Zhiming Meng², Zeyu Chen¹, Senlin Hu³

Affiliations

¹ School of Economics and Management, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, People's Republic of China.
² School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, People's Republic of China.
³ School of Urban Development Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Purpose: Drawing on the motivation theory, this study investigated the effect and consequences of personal motivation and innovative climate on innovative behavior among university students in mainland China. The study also examined whether the effect of personal motivation and innovative climate on Chinese university students' innovative behavior is heterogeneous between disciplines and place of residence.

Methods: A quantitative study was conducted to test the hypotheses. Data were collected from 245 undergraduate students at Chinese universities with paper-based questionnaires. Self-report scales were used to measure levels of personal motivation, innovative climate, and innovative behaviors. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the scale and questionnaire's reliability and validity. The logistic model was applied to analyze the data and test the hypotheses.

Results: Personal motivation and innovative climate have significant effects on Chinese university students' innovative behavior. The effect of personal motivation and innovative climate on students' innovative behavior is heterogeneous between disciplines and place of residence. Further, extrinsic motivation serves as a positive incentive. Mentor support, good academic climate, and knowledge sharing affect students' innovative behavior positively. However, insufficient guaranteed resources has a significant negative influence. The data demonstrated no statistically significant difference between intrinsic motivation and students' innovative behavior.

Conclusion: This study contributes to the empirical literature on mechanisms that influence innovative behavior by testing the relation between personal motivation, innovative climate, and innovative behavior on the part of Chinese university students. In addition, these findings also provide evidence for ways to improve university students' innovative consciousness and innovative ability, as well as universities' management practice of innovative education.

Keywords: innovative behavior; innovative climate; personal motivation; university students.