Nurturing innovation in virtual work climate: the power of self-determination and learning orientation

This study delves into the impact of the virtual work climate on employee innovative performance, with a focus on the mediating roles of perceived autonomous motivation and temporal flexibility. Data from 825 employees engaged in Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were gathered via an online questionnaire and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Anchored in the framework of self-determination theory, our findings underscore the importance of a supportive virtual work context. Virtual work climate fosters temporal flexibility by fulfilling employees' basic psychological needs and improves their autonomous motivation. Consequently, employees demonstrate heightened innovative performance at work. Additionally, this research highlights that a learning orientation has a negative moderating influence on the relationships between autonomous motivation and innovative performance, which reveals that higher learning orientation may divert employees' focus away from improving innovative performance. These insights emphasise the critical role of cultivating a conducive virtual work climate within organisations to enhance employee innovation. The implications of this study hold significant value for enterprises seeking to optimise their employees' innovative potential.