Spiritual Foundations of Faculty Innovation: How Autonomy and Organizational Support Drive Engagement and Creative Behavior Among University Lecturers

-, Lianto

JURNAL MANAJEMEN MOTIVASI
Vol 21 No 2 (2025): Jurnal Manajemen Motivasi

This study introduces the "spiritual amplification effect" by examining how workplace spirituality moderates the link between employee engagement and innovative work behavior among Indonesian university lecturers. Using PLS-SEM on 70 tenured faculty, we tested a moderated mediation model including work autonomy, organizational support, and engagement. Results show workplace spirituality more than doubles the engagement–innovation effect (β = .53 vs. β = .23). Both autonomy and support influence innovation directly and indirectly. This is the first empirical evidence of spirituality as a key moderator in academic innovation, offering a novel framework with cross-cultural relevance for higher education leadership.