The dark side of innovative work behavior: Turnover intention in public service and the moderating role of hierarchical organizational culture

This article explains employee turnover through the lens of innovative work behavior within the context of hierarchical organizational culture. Using the sample of South Korean public employees and longitudinal least squares dummy variable (LSDV) estimation, this article finds that innovative work behavior in the public sector can have a dark side, leading to increasing turnover intention. Innovative work behavior conflicts with existing work practices rooted in strong hierarchical organizational culture within public organizations, implying that it may not be readily adopted in the public sector. Therefore, even if innovative work behavior increases turnover intention, hierarchical organizational culture can buffer this effect. Points for Practitioners In the public sector, innovative work behavior can lead to turnover intention. However, hierarchical organizational culture can mitigate this effect. Therefore, public organizations should be cautious about overly minimizing hierarchical organizational culture or excessively promoting innovative work behavior.