Linking the demands-control-support model to innovation: the moderating role of personal initiative on the generation and implementation of ideas

The demands-control-support model (R.A.Karasek & T.Theorell, 1990) indicates that workers can use job control and social support for problem-solving. We examined whether personal initiative moderated relationships between, on the one hand, job control used for problem-solving and social support used for problem-solving and, on the other hand, ideas generation and ideas implementation. We operationalised job control used for problemsolving as “changing aspects of work activities to solve problems”. We operationalised social support used for problem-solving as “discussing problems to solve problems”. Using an experience sampling methodology, participants provided data for up to four times a day for up to five working days (n = 89). The extent to which people “changed aspects of their work activities to solve problems” was associated with higher levels of ideas generation for people with high personal initiative. The extent to which people “discussed problems to solve problems” was associated with higher levels of ideas implementation for people with high personal initiative.