Exploring the Impact of Prosocial Actions on Innovative Behavior: The Roles of Creative Thinking and Coping Humor

Nadir Aliane

King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.

Fatimah Abdulaziz Alshiha

King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

This study investigates the relationships among prosocial actions, coping humor, creative thinking, and innovative behavior within organizational settings. It aims to understand how prosocial actions influence employees' innovative behaviors directly and indirectly through creative thinking and whether coping humor serves as a moderating factor in these relationships. The research was conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, involving 303 employees from various departments across multiple firms. Data were collected using structured questionnaires with established scales. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed for analysis to test the hypothesized relationships and assess the mediation and moderation effects within the conceptual model. The results indicate that prosocial actions significantly enhance both creative thinking and innovative behavior. Creative thinking was found to mediate the relationship between prosocial actions and innovative behavior, emphasizing its critical role in translating collaborative behaviors into practical innovations. Furthermore, coping humor significantly moderated these relationships, strengthening the positive effects of prosocial actions on both creative thinking and innovative behavior. This study contributes to the literature by integrating coping humor as a moderator, highlighting its relevance in fostering workplace creativity and innovation. It offers practical insights for organizations aiming to cultivate a collaborative, innovative, and humor-empowered work culture.

Coping humor, Creative thinking, Innovative behavior, Prosocial actions, Collaborative behaviors.