Innovative work behavior among aging public sector employees: The mediating role of organizational commitment

Abstract

Innovative work behavior (IWB) plays a crucial role in enhancing organizational effectiveness, service quality, and sustainability, particularly within public sector organizations facing increasing pressure to innovate amid workforce aging. As extended working lives result in a growing proportion of aging employees remaining in public service, understanding the conditions that support IWB among aging employees has become increasingly important. Drawing on job demands-resources perspectives and organizational support literature, this pilot study examines the mediating role of organizational commitment in the relationship between job autonomy, supervisor support, and IWB among aging employees in the Malaysian public sector. This study employed a quantitative survey design involving 30 government employees aged between 50 and 60 years working in the Prime Minister’s Department, Putrajaya. Established measurement instruments were used to assess job autonomy, supervisor support, organizational commitment, and IWB. Reliability analysis using Cronbach’s alpha indicated satisfactory internal consistency across all constructs, with values exceeding the recommended threshold of 0.70. Skewness and kurtosis values further indicated acceptable data distribution. Overall, the findings provide preliminary support for the reliability and suitability of the research instruments and offer initial insights into the relationships among job autonomy, supervisor support, organizational commitment, and IWB in an aging public sector context. The study serves as a methodological foundation for a larger-scale investigation into IWB among aging employees.