SUBSTITUTES OR COMPLEMENTS? THE ROLE OF CORPORATE INCUBATOR SUPPORT AND INNOVATION CLIMATE FOR INNOVATIVE BEHAVIOR IN THE HOSTING FIRM

摘要

Incubation of organisations by corporate incubators is currently regaining attention as a key way to foster innovation. However, understanding of how corporate incubators affect employee’s innovative behaviour in the host company is still limited. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the relationship between corporate incubator influence and innovative work behaviour and how this is moderated by innovation climate. Using a multi-level regression with 1,202 participants nested in 100 organisational units of a large, international company, the study shows that corporate incubators and innovation climate significantly affect innovative work behaviour. Further, we found that shared and individual perceptions of innovation climate moderate incubator influence differently. In order to improve innovative work behaviour, corporate incubators can compensate a weak innovation climate while strengthening the impact of individual perceptions of innovation climate on innovative behaviour, which introduces new ways of how companies are able to improve their innovativeness.