[01] Changzheng Zhang, School of Economics & Management, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, China. [02] Jiao Zhang, School of Economics & Management, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, China. [03] Qian Guo, School of Economics & Management, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, China. [04] Xi Wei, School of Economics & Management, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, China.

This article attempts to explore the linkages between the CEO-worker pay ratio (CWPR) and the workplace innovative behavior (WIB), which is still a theoretical research gap in China, by considering the mediating roles of the leader-membership exchange (LMX), the psychological ownership (POS) and the sense of self-efficacy (SSE). A conceptual model is built to investigate the relationships among the five above-mentioned concepts, which concludes several critical new findings of great significance in improving the WIB within a firm. To be specific, the CWPR has the significant negative effects on the WIB which are partially mediated by the LMX, the POS and the SSE. Toward the end, this article offers the suggestions for the future research, and further discusses the practical implications of the study.

CEO-Worker Pay Ratio (CWPR), Workplace Innovative Behavior (WIB), Leader-Membership Exchange (LMX), Psychological Ownership (POS), Sense of Self-efficacy (SSE)

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