The mediating role of knowledge sharing in effect of innovative climate on teachers' innovative behaviors: (study case: teachers of Kashan city)

Understanding the importance of innovative and creative behavior of teachers in school is a vital and challenging issue for education officials and researchers, because schools, as professional learning communities, have the duty to support innovative behaviors. In fact, since schools and teachers are expected to train students who will be a creative and innovative workforce in the future, the importance of innovative behavior of teachers as agents of change and role models for students in this way is obvious. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the innovative climate on the innovative behaviors of teachers with the mediating role of knowledge sharing. The current research was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlation in terms of execution. The statistical population included 3252 teachers of Kashan citythat by using Cochran's formula and stratified random sampling method 351 people were selected as a sample. In order to collect data’s, three questionnaires of innovative organizational climate (Cigel and Kaumer, 1987), knowledge sharing (Van den Hooff & De Ridder, 2004) and innovative behavior (Kanter, 1988) were used. The validity of the questionnaires was done in face and structure (confirmatory factor analysis). Through Cronbach's alpha coefficient, the reliability of the innovative climate questionnaire 0.88, innovative behavior 0.90, and knowledge sharing 0.77 estimated. Data’s analysis of the research was done using SPSS and Smart statistical software at two descriptive and inferential levels. The results showed that the mean of the innovative atmosphere (2.96) was slightly lower than the average (3), the mean of innovative behavior (3.95) was higher than the average (3) and the mean of knowledge sharing (4.11) was higher than the average (2/5). Path coefficients showed that innovative climate with (Beta=0.425, P=0.001) on innovative behavior, knowledge sharing with (Beta=0.15, P=0.002) on innovative behavior and innovative climate with (Beta=0.40, P=0.001) has a positive and significant effect on teachers' knowledge sharing, and the mediating role of knowledge sharing was confirmed in the effect of innovative climate on teachers' innovative behavior. In fact, when teachers perceive the climate of the organization as supportive of innovation, they will be more willing to share knowledge and transform tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, and in fact, a suitable platform is provided for knowledge distribution among teachers, the exchange of information takes, and this issue is the basis and potential for the occurrence of innovative behavior.