Is the Relationship Between Creative Self-Efficacy and Innovative Behavior Mediated by Optimism?

Innovative behavior is very important for companies engaged in the creative industry. Innovative behavior can be caused by optimism, and optimism occurs because of creative self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating function of optimism on the relationship between creative self-efficacy and innovative behavior. This study used an ex-post facto design. The research subjects were 101 employees of the creative industry who were taken through incidental sampling techniques. The instruments used were innovative work behavior, creative self-efficacy, and Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R). The data were analyzed using the Mediated Regression Analysis (MRA) technique. The results showed that there was a positive influence between creative self-efficacy on innovative behavior, but the relationship was not mediated by optimism. It can be concluded that creative self-efficacy has a direct effect on innovative behavior and not through optimism.