Innovativeness white papers
Title: Work--Life Balance Practices and Employee Innovation: A Meta--Analysis and Field Experiment
Publication Date: July 10, 2026
Magazine: Journal of Applied Psychology (ResearchGate)
Main Conclusions:
- Meta--Analytic Evidence: A meta--analysis of 54 independent studies indicates that flexible work arrangements and work--life balance support are positively correlated with innovative work behavior (r = 0.36).
- Experimental Results: A field experiment in a professional services firm found that employees with high autonomy over their schedules produced 18% more viable new product ideas than those with fixed schedules.
- Resource Drain Theory: The study concludes that work--life support reduces cognitive strain, allowing employees to dedicate more "mental bandwidth" to creative and innovative tasks.