Abstract
Previous literature suggested that job resources and demands drive innovative behavior. Although innovation includes idea generation and implementation of ideas, and each may be influenced by different individual, organizational, and contextual elements, many studies have not accounted for the difference between idea generation and idea realization in their conceptual justifications or empirical analyses. In response, this study differentiated between idea generation and idea realization through conceptual justifications and looked into the mediating effect of structural and social job resources between challenging job demands and idea realization via the job demands–resources (JD-R) model. To collect data for this study through a cross-sectional research design, we sent participants links to Google Forms, where they could self-administer surveys and enter their replies. Convenience sampling was used to compile a sample of 278 workers from India's manufacturing and service sectors. Results indicated that structural and social job resources partially mediate between challenging job demands and idea realization. This study makes key contributions to the literature by extending the JD-R model, supporting and expanding the conservation of resources theory, and providing empirical evidence for the self-determination theory.
