Impact of Age Stereotypes on Innovative Work Behavior: The Mediating Role of Creative Self-efficacy and Work Engagement

Abstract Innovative work behavior is not only an important indicator of innovation and work performance for employees, but is also an important driving force to cultivate innovative talents for the organization. This study developed structural equation models to explore the mediating effects of employees' creative self-efficacy and work engagement on the influence of positive or negative age stereotypes on IWB among the younger and older employees. The results showed that: (1) Age stereotypes predict IWB. In the older adult group, positive age stereotypes positively influenced IWB, while negative age stereotypes negatively influenced IWB. In younger employee groups, both positive and negative age stereotypes positively influenced IWB. (2) In the younger adult group, work engagement played a partial mediating role between positive stereotype and IWB, and a partial mediating role between negative stereotype and IWB. In the older adult group, creative self-efficacy and work engagement played a partial mediating role between negative age stereotypes and IWB, and also played a partial mediating role between positive age stereotypes and IWB. (3) Negative age stereotypes of older employees negatively affected creative self-efficacy and thus had a negative impact on IWB, but positively affected work engagement through a masking effect that counteracted the negative impact of reduced creative self-efficacy, ultimately resulting in a positive influence on IWB.