스타트업 대표자의 성격특성이 자기효능감과 직무만족, 혁신행동에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

This study empirically examines how the personality traits of startup CEOs influence employees’ innovative behavior through the mediating roles of self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Startups operate in highly uncertain environments where continuous innovation is closely linked to organizational survival. In this context, employees’ innovative behavior may be influenced not only by individual capabilities but also by the psychological environment within the organization and the characteristics of the leader. Accordingly, this study extends prior research that has mainly focused on leadership behaviors by paying attention to the leader’s fundamental personal attributes—personality traits—and analyzes the structural relationships among employees’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. A survey was conducted with 204 employees working in startups. After verifying reliability and validity, correlation analysis and mediation analysis using the PROCESS macro model were performed. The results indicate that among the CEO’s personality traits, extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness have significant positive effects on employees’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction. In addition, self-efficacy and job satisfaction were found to have significant positive effects on innovative behavior. However, the direct effect of the CEO’s personality traits on innovative behavior was not significant; instead, a full mediation effect through self-efficacy and job satisfaction was confirmed. This study has academic significance in that it integrates and identifies the causal pathways among the CEO’s personality traits, employees’ psychological factors, and their behaviors, moving beyond existing studies that primarily focus on leadership styles. Furthermore, it provides practical implications suggesting that, in order to promote innovation in startup organizations, it is important not only to introduce institutional systems or programs but also to develop organizational cultures and leadership capabilities that enhance employees’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction.