Organizational Support and Employee Innovation: The Mediating Role of Employee Engagement

Abstract

Employee innovation is an important source of organizational competitiveness, and its relationship with organizational support involves both direct and engagement-mediated pathways. This study examines the association between organizational support and employee innovation, with employee engagement positioned as a mediating variable. Data were collected from 105 employees and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS. The measurement model demonstrated adequate reliability and convergent validity for all constructs. Discriminant validity between employee engagement and employee innovation was not fully established because the heterotrait-monotrait ratio exceeded the conservative threshold. The structural model shows that organizational support is positively associated with employee engagement and employee innovation, and employee engagement is positively associated with employee innovation. The indirect effect through employee engagement was significant while the direct effect remained significant and positive, indicating complementary mediation. The findings identify employee engagement as a central pathway linking organizational support with employee innovation. The study contributes to the human resource management literature by demonstrating simultaneous direct and engagement-mediated associations and provides practical implications for support practices that strengthen engagement and innovative behavior.