When the going gets tough, the tough get going: Intrapreneurship, self-efficacy, and innovative work behaviors in open-innovation context

To elucidate the underlying mechanism of organizational members’ engagement in open innovation, this study draws on the theory of motivated information management and analyzes survey data of 1200 full-timers in Japan. Structural equation modeling and multi-group structural equation modeling analyses have revealed that employees tasked with open-innovation initiatives rely more heavily on self-efficacy beliefs (β = 0.69, p < .001) than cost–benefit calculations (β = 0.08, p = .10) to determine their actions. These tendencies are further amplified by the employees’ individual-level corporate entrepreneurship (βs = 0.44–0.47, p < .001), whereas the impact of organizational support remains comparatively limited (β = 0.0.08–0.40, p < .01–.001). These results are consistent with the theory of motivated information management, which posits that individuals in high-uncertainty contexts prioritize efficacy over cost–benefit calculations—thereby they demonstrate the theory uniquely explains and predicts human-level dynamics of open innovation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed along with the limitations and future directions.