The relationship amongst behavioural integrity, trust and innovative work behaviour

Abstract

With an ever changing and complex business environment within which organisations must compete, innovation through innovative work behaviour is necessary for firm survival. Behavioural integrity is a key attribute required by employees, especially managers who lead teams, in that behavioural integrity can have an effect on important organisational outcomes. Trust is closely related to vulnerability and risk-taking and is a known facilitator to many organisational behaviour outcomes. As such, behavioural integrity, trust and innovative work behaviour formed part of the research to examine a new dimension in the theory on behavioural integrity. This has value in giving organisations a practical understanding of what can be done by leaders to influence innovative work behaviour of employees. This descriptive research, using a quantitative approach through a survey of 118 technology focused employees, was based on a self-administered survey. The research shows that behavioural integrity of the manager has a positive predictive effect on employee trust. Moreover, the research did not support the notion that employee trust predicts employee innovative work behaviour as well as the idea that behavioural integrity of managers predicts innovative work behaviour in employees.