Exploring the Relationship between Innovative Work Behavior, Job Anxiety, Workplace Ostracism, and Workplace Incivility: Empirical Evidence from Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between workplace ostracism (WO), workplace incivility (WI), and innovative work behavior (IWB), using job anxiety as a mediating variable. Building on the conservation of resource (COR) theory, this study proposes a theoretical framework. In this framework, workplace ostracism and workplace incivility are theorized to strengthen innovative work behavior, directly and indirectly, through job anxiety. Data were collected from the workers of small and medium sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs located in Pakistan. To estimate the proposed relationships in the conceptual model, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) through AMOS-21. The outcomes of this study confirmed that workplace ostracism and workplace incivility had a negative impact on innovative work behavior. It was also confirmed that job anxiety mediates in the relationship between workplace ostracism, workplace incivility, job anxiety, and innovative work behavior. At the end of the study, we thoroughly discussed the conclusions, practical implications, limitations, and future research directions of the study.