Purpose This study examines how leadership justice relates to innovative work behavior among R&D employees in China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) industry, contributing to climate action, with a focus craftsman spirit and job embeddedness. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 200 R&D employees in listed NEV firms in Jiangsu province. SmartPLS (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the measurement model and test direct, mediating and moderating effects. Findings Leadership justice is positively associated with leader trust, which, in turn, is linked to stronger craftsman spirit and higher innovative work behavior. Craftsman spirit mediates the relationship between leader trust and innovative work behavior. Job embeddedness does not significantly moderate the relationship between leader trust and craftsman spirit. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional, single-province design limits causal inference and generalizability. Future work should use longitudinal, multi-source data and test alternative moderators in the NEV context. Practical implications Managers can promote innovative work behavior by institutionalizing fairness, transparency and craftsmanship standards. Job embeddedness may aid retention but may not strengthen innovation pathways. Originality/value The cross-sectional, single-province design limits causal inference and generalizability. Future work should use longitudinal, multi-source data and test alternative moderators in the NEV context.
Cao et al. (Wed,) studied this question.