Abstract
BACKGROUND: The significance of innovative work behavior is growing as organizations strive to maintain their competitiveness by hiring freelancer employees. This study aimed to examine how absorptive capability mediates the connections between job motivation, transformational leadership, and innovation work behavior in freelancers working in the oil and gas industry. METHODS: A quantitative methodology was employed through an online questionnaire, using a random sampling strategy involving 250 respondents. Furthermore, data analysis was performed using structural equation modelling. RESULTS: The findings indicate that job motivation and transformational leadership did not have a direct impact on innovation work behavior. However, they did have an indirect beneficial influence mediated by absorptive capability. This study revealed that absorptive skills play a vital role in facilitating the translation of job drive and transformational leadership into innovative work behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The practical consequences involve firms embracing transformational leadership and establishing training programs to enhance employees' absorptive potential, thereby promoting innovation. Ultimately, cultivating absorptive skills is crucial for leadership styles and motivational elements to be evident in innovative work behaviors.