Need for Cognition as an Antecedent of Individual Innovation Behavior

Chia Huei Wu; Sharon K. Parker; Jeroen P.J. de Jong

doi:10.1177/0149206311429862

Need for Cognition as an Antecedent of Individual Innovation Behavior

Chia Huei Wu^*, Sharon K. Parker, Jeroen P.J. de Jong

^*Corresponding author for this work

Human Resource Management

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

239 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The authors propose that need for cognition, an individual’s tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking, is associated with individual innovation behavior. Moreover, drawing on an interactionist perspective, the authors suggest that need for cognition becomes more important when individuals face lower job autonomy and time pressure in their work. This is because, when these job characteristics are low, there is no contextual driving force for individual innovation, so personality has a stronger influence. In a multisource study of 179 employees working in a Dutch research and consultancy organization, the authors’ expectations were largely supported. They found that need for cognition was positively associated with peer-rated innovation behavior, as were job autonomy and time pressure, even when controlling for openness to experience and proactive personality. Furthermore, the relationship between need for cognition and innovation behavior was strongest for individuals with low job autonomy and low time pressure and indeed was nonexistent at high levels of these contextual variables. This study, therefore, suggests that context can substitute for an individual’s need for cognition when it comes to individual innovation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1511-1534
Number of pages	24
Journal	JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT
Volume	40
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206311429862
Publication status	Published - 1 Sept 2014

Keywords

innovation
job design
personality
proactivity

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title = "Need for Cognition as an Antecedent of Individual Innovation Behavior",

abstract = "The authors propose that need for cognition, an individual{\textquoteright}s tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking, is associated with individual innovation behavior. Moreover, drawing on an interactionist perspective, the authors suggest that need for cognition becomes more important when individuals face lower job autonomy and time pressure in their work. This is because, when these job characteristics are low, there is no contextual driving force for individual innovation, so personality has a stronger influence. In a multisource study of 179 employees working in a Dutch research and consultancy organization, the authors{\textquoteright} expectations were largely supported. They found that need for cognition was positively associated with peer-rated innovation behavior, as were job autonomy and time pressure, even when controlling for openness to experience and proactive personality. Furthermore, the relationship between need for cognition and innovation behavior was strongest for individuals with low job autonomy and low time pressure and indeed was nonexistent at high levels of these contextual variables. This study, therefore, suggests that context can substitute for an individual{\textquoteright}s need for cognition when it comes to individual innovation.",

keywords = "innovation, job design, personality, proactivity",

author = "Wu, {Chia Huei} and Parker, {Sharon K.} and {de Jong}, {Jeroen P.J.}",

note = "Funding Information: The data collection of this study was funded from the SME and Entrepreneurship Research Program, which is executed by EIM Business and Policy Research in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands. We would like to thank Kerrie Unsworth, Patrick Dunlop, and Wei Tain for providing comments on a previous draft of this article. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2011.",

year = "2014",

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doi = "10.1177/0149206311429862",

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AU - Parker, Sharon K.

AU - de Jong, Jeroen P.J.

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PY - 2014/9/1

Y1 - 2014/9/1

N2 - The authors propose that need for cognition, an individual’s tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking, is associated with individual innovation behavior. Moreover, drawing on an interactionist perspective, the authors suggest that need for cognition becomes more important when individuals face lower job autonomy and time pressure in their work. This is because, when these job characteristics are low, there is no contextual driving force for individual innovation, so personality has a stronger influence. In a multisource study of 179 employees working in a Dutch research and consultancy organization, the authors’ expectations were largely supported. They found that need for cognition was positively associated with peer-rated innovation behavior, as were job autonomy and time pressure, even when controlling for openness to experience and proactive personality. Furthermore, the relationship between need for cognition and innovation behavior was strongest for individuals with low job autonomy and low time pressure and indeed was nonexistent at high levels of these contextual variables. This study, therefore, suggests that context can substitute for an individual’s need for cognition when it comes to individual innovation.

AB - The authors propose that need for cognition, an individual’s tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking, is associated with individual innovation behavior. Moreover, drawing on an interactionist perspective, the authors suggest that need for cognition becomes more important when individuals face lower job autonomy and time pressure in their work. This is because, when these job characteristics are low, there is no contextual driving force for individual innovation, so personality has a stronger influence. In a multisource study of 179 employees working in a Dutch research and consultancy organization, the authors’ expectations were largely supported. They found that need for cognition was positively associated with peer-rated innovation behavior, as were job autonomy and time pressure, even when controlling for openness to experience and proactive personality. Furthermore, the relationship between need for cognition and innovation behavior was strongest for individuals with low job autonomy and low time pressure and indeed was nonexistent at high levels of these contextual variables. This study, therefore, suggests that context can substitute for an individual’s need for cognition when it comes to individual innovation.

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Need for Cognition as an Antecedent of Individual Innovation Behavior

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