Purpose–In 2022, the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese government set improving the efficiency of the national innovation system as the primary goal and high-quality development as the primary task of building the country. To become a country based on science and technology and innovation and adhere to the path of sustainable development, innovative talents are needed to master the formation of science and technology and transform the results of innovation. The problem is that innovative human resources play a central role. Without talents with innovative work behaviors, it will be difficult to achieve the country's grand vision. Many scholars and business managers have clearly pointed out that innovative talents play a core and key role, whether in a country or an organization. Stimulating and promoting innovative work behaviors is the key for all enterprises and organizations to maintain competitive advantages. It is also the need for our country to implement and adhere to the sustainable development path under the many uncertain environmental challenges today. The main purpose of this study is to reveal the factors that influence innovative work behavior and the impact of innovative work behavior on the sustainable performance of enterprises and organizations. The goal of this article is to explore this issue in depth. Design/methodology/approach–This study adopts quantitative research method. Data was collected by the questionnaire Star questionnaire collection software by issuing questionnaire links and questionnaire two-dimensional code. Structural equation modeling technique was adopted, and SMART-PLS software was used for data analysis. The findings–It indicate that employee satisfaction and work-life balance have a positive impact on innovative work behavior, respectively. Innovative work behavior has a positive influence on the organizations performance in terms of sustainability. Study limitations/implications–The results suggest that employee satisfaction and work-life balance play a critical role in innovative work behavior, respectively, and innovative work behavior has a positive impact on sustainable organizational performance. Therefore, enterprises and organizations should enhance employee satisfaction and work-life satisfaction in order to promote and stimulate employees' innovative ideas and behaviors, improve the sustainable development performance of enterprises, and thus enhance competitive advantages and favorable position. This study was only conducted in developed areas such as Beijing, China, and future researchers can conduct cross-cultural studies in different countries and should use other methods to test current models. Practical significance–Improving the level of employee satisfaction and work-life balance helps to stimulate the generation of innovative work behaviors, thereby promoting the viability and sustainable development level of an organization and enterprise. This research can be extended to Chinese high-tech enterprises and innovative organizations. Only through the investment and interaction of a large number of innovative talents can technological innovation transform innovation results, improve the efficiency and level of innovation, and continuously improve the sustainable performance of enterprises and organizations. Due to the continuous improvement of my country's scientific and technological level, the demand for employees' innovative work behaviors continues to emerge. It is the need of the current era and policy for organizations and enterprises to adhere to the path of sustainable development. Originality/value–Innovative work behavior is a research issue of widespread concern in the current academic world. Domestic and foreign scholars have conducted a large number of studies to sort out the content, concepts, dimensions and impact of innovative work behavior. However, in today's fiercely competitive environment and full of uncertainty, there is a lack of empirical research and practical solutions suitable for promoting employees' innovative work behaviors. There is also a lack of research on the effects of innovative work behaviors and sustainable organizational performance. This study attempts to fill the gap in the current academic research field, design a new theoretical model, and provide constructive theoretical suggestions for enterprises and organizations to promote employees' innovative work behavior and effectively promote sustainable organizational performance.