THE IMPACT OF CAREER CALLING ON INNOVATIVE BEHAVIOR OF KNOWLEDGE WORKERS: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF CAREER IDENTITY

In the highly competitive era of the knowledge economy, innovation has become the cornerstone for enterprises to build core competitiveness. As direct carriers of innovative activities, the creative output of knowledge-based employees is critical to an organizations sustainable development. Although academic circles at home and abroad have carried out a lot of research on career calling and innovative behavior of knowledge workers, the achievements of correlational research between the two are still relatively scarce. Building on prior theoretical foundations-career calling theory, self-determination theory, and social identity theory-this study investigates the impact of career calling on knowledge-based employees innovative behaviors through the mediating role of professional identity. Using a questionnaire survey method and statistical analysis via SPSS, the findings reveal that: (1) career calling has a significantly positive influence on knowledge-based employees innovative behaviors; (2) career calling has a significant positive impact on professional identity; (3) professional identity has a significant positive impact on employees innovative behavior; (4) professional identity plays a mediating role in the relationship between career calling and employees innovative behavior. Accordingly, this study recommends that organizations strengthen the cultivation of career calling and professional identity among knowledge-based employees to enhance their innovative efficacy.