S&T innovators' sense of work gain: scale development and validation

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Organizational Behavior
• Human Resources Management

Background:

• Enhancing work gain is vital for motivating Science and Technology (S&T) innovators.
• A lack of specialized instruments hinders empirical research on S&T innovators' sense of work gain (STISWG).
• Existing research lacks a validated scale to measure STISWG.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a specialized scale for measuring the sense of work gain among S&T innovators (STISWG).
• To provide a reliable instrument for assessing STISWG based on the Existence, Relatedness and Growth (ERG) theory.

Main Methods:

• Scale development and validation involved four stages with data from 1,597 S&T innovators.
• Statistical analyses included item analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
• Reliability and external predictive validity were assessed using the Employee Innovative Behaviour Scale and Paternalistic Leadership Scale.

Main Results:

• The 11-item STISWG scale demonstrated satisfactory reliability and a three-factor structure (existence, relatedness, growth gain).
• EFA and CFA confirmed the optimal three-factor structure of the STISWG scale.
• STISWG dimensions positively predicted innovative behavior, moderated by paternalistic leadership styles.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully developed and validated the specialized STISWG scale.
• The STISWG scale is an effective instrument for assessing S&T innovators' sense of work gain.
• Findings offer practical insights for enhancing work gain and innovative behaviors in S&T professionals.