Job insecurity and innovative behavior: the mediating role of impression management and the moderating role of job embeddedness

Based on Conservation of resources (COR) theory and job preservation motivation, this paper examines the mediating role of impression management between job insecurity and employees’ innovative behavior, and the moderating role of job embeddedness in the process. Using two-wave data from 315 samples obtained through the Credamo platform in China, the indirect effects of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity on employees’ innovative behavior were found to be different and to be mediated by defensiveness and assertiveness in impression management. Moreover, job embeddedness moderated the relationship not only between job insecurity and impression management, but also between job insecurity and innovative behavior via impression management in moderated mediation analyses. This study provides new insights into the mechanism between job insecurity and innovative conduct from the impression management perspective.