Perceived organizational support for innovation and its impact on employee work commitment among healthcare workers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: The Support Theory for Organizations asserts that an organization can only experience growth when its employees feel accepted and have access to opportunities for change. The behavior of organizations towards change can either be accepting or resistant. When an organization adopts an innovative support strategy, it encourages positive employee behavior and creativity, in addition to practicing transformational leadership styles. Commitment, the state of being dedicated to work or action, is a fundamental theory for a thriving workplace environment. Objective: This study aimed to determine the relationship between leader perception of innovation acceptance and employee work commitment among healthcare providers in multi-centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2019. Data were collected using Perceived Organization Innovativeness Scale and the Employee Engagement Questionnaire to measure leader innovativeness perception and employee work commitment. Convenience sampling was carried out in eight departments, and the data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23 for descriptive data analysis and ANOVA. Results: The result was not significant enough to reach a proven level (p <0.05). However, the leaders who participated in the study had a moderate to high perception of innovation, and 51% of the employees had an above-average commitment score. Conclusion: The study concluded that leaders' behavior towards innovation may enhance employees' work productivity. However, a well-structured multicentric project should be conducted to assess this theory further.